Children’s Sabbath

October 18, 2020

Christ Presbyterian Church
Virtual Worship Service
Facebook Live: @christpc
Audio Live Stream: www.largocpc.org
Call and Listen: 351-888-7756
Cell Phone Text: CALL ME
 Welcome to Sunday Worship
20th Sunday after Pentecost, October 18, 2020 10:00 am
Welcome and Announcements
GATHERING AROUND THE WORD
Litany for Children’s Sabbath
Opening Prayer
Merciful God, In seeing this candle burn bright, we remember
that You are ever present in our lives and in the lives of your
precious children here in Florida, the United States, and the
world. God, we come to You in worship today to adore and
praise You for all that you have done for us and continue to do
in the lives of Your children. We call upon you to challenge us
to reimagine our future with Your children, Your justice, and
Your joy. AMEN.
Call to Worship
One: Gather our hearts, O God, knitting us together across
difference and division to live with your compassion.
All: Gather our minds, O God, from distractions and
distance to focus on you and your children.
One: Gather our wills, O God, to be strong and
courageous in pursuit of your justice.

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All: By the power of your holy spirit, make us one in
heart, mind, and spirit as we worship you on this
Children’s Sabbath day. Come, let us worship
God.
Hymn
Gather Us In
Here in this place the new light is streaming;
now is the darkness vanished away;
see in this space our fears and our dreamings
brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken;
gather us in, the blind and the lame;
call to us now, and we shall awaken;
we shall arise at the sound of our name.
We are the young, our lives are a mystery.
We are the old who yearn for your face.
We have been sung throughout all of history,
called to be light to the whole human race.
Gather us in, the rich and the haughty;
gather us in, the proud and the strong;
give us a heart, so meek and so lowly;
give us the courage to enter the song.
Here we will take the wine and the water;
here we will take the bread of new birth.
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 Here you shall call your sons and your daughters,
call us anew to be salt for the earth.
Give us to drink the wine of compassion;
give us to eat the bread that is you;
nourish us well, and teach us to fashion
lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

Not in the dark of buildings confining,

not in some heaven, light years away;
here in this place the new light in shining;
now is the kingdom, and now is the day.
Gather us in and hold us forever;
gather us in and make us your own;
gather us in, all peoples together,
fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
Prayer of Confession
All: God of infinite possibility, we confess that too often
we are stuck in what is rather than working toward
what could be. We doubt we can make a difference
and so we just try to get through the day. We become
overwhelmed by pain, problems, and the pandemic,
and want to hide our hearts, sit on our hands, wait
for it to end. Forgive us, O God, for living too little in
the largeness of your love. Fill us, we pray, with
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 courage and compassion, vision and determination
to embody your love, seek your will, and strive for
your justice that will enable all children to thrive and
live with joy in the fullness of life that you intend.
These things we pray in the name of your child,
Jesus. AMEN.
Silent Confession
Assurance of Pardon
One: “Behold, I make all things new.” Friends, by the grace of
God made known in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life
has gone; a new life has begun. Know that you are
forgiven and be at peace.
All: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

PROCLAIMING THE WORD

Prayer of Illumination
Reading from the New Testament
1 Thessalonians 2:1-10
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to
you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and
been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had
courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite
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of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from
deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been
approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the
gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please
God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our
witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext
for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from
you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as
apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse
tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care
for you that we are determined to share with you not only the
gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have
become very dear to us. 9 You remember our labor and toil,
brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we
might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the
gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure,
upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (1 Th 2:1-10). Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers.
One: This is the Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God!
Special Music Eddie Espinosa
Change My Heart, O God
Solo – Susan Taylor
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Readings from the Gospel
Mathew 7:9-12
Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread,
will give a stone? 10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a
snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12 “In
everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for
this is the law and the prophets.
Luke 11:11-13
Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish,
will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for
an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Mt 7:9–12, Lk 11:11-13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers.
One: This is the Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon Rev. John Scott
“Reimagining Our Future with Children, Justice and Joy”
Sermon Notes:
1. Stones, snakes & scorpions; feeding & nurturing a child
2. What are the good gifts to be shared with God’s children?

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 3. Declaring the gospel message in spite of opposition (Paul’s
declaration to the Thessalonians)
4. An appeal does not spring from deceit, impure motives or
trickery
5. Deeply caring for those in need of the Gospel.
6. Reimaging Our Future with Children, Justice and Joy
My Sermon Notes:

RESPONDING TO THE WORD

Affirmation of Faith from the Book of Common Worship
PC(USA)
Great God, guard the laughter of children. Bring them
safely through injury and illness so they may live the
promises you give. Do not let us be so preoccupied with
our purposes that we fail to hear their voices, or pay
attention to their special vision of the truth; but keep us
with them, ready to listen and to love, even as in Jesus
Christ you have loved us, your grown-up, wayward
children. AMEN.

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Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer
GOING OUT INTO THE WORLD
Hymn
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is
strong.
(refrain)

Refrain
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me! This I know, as He loved so long ago,
Taking children on his knee, saying, “Let them come to
me.” (refrain)
Benediction
Postlude

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 ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wednesday Night Worship

Join us from the comfort of your home
as we continue to gather for our
midweek worship opportunity at 6:30
pm. There will be music and a short
devotional message. It is available via
the church Facebook page @christpc.
Blessings Box
The church now has an outdoor food pantry to serve our neighborhood
and community. Anyone can come and take from it what they need.
Also, anyone can place a food item or items into it so that others may
benefit from these shared blessings. If
sharing, please do not place items with
expired dates or perishable foods into the
Blessings Box. Thank you for supporting
this ministry as we continue to explore new
ways and what it means to be the hands
and feet of Jesus.

Cloth Face Masks

Volunteers have been busy making non-medical grade cloth type 3-
layer face coverings at church. To request a face covering please
contact the church office at 727-584-8695 and leave a message.

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CPC Outreach to our Neighborhood
CPC is working to address hunger issues in our community by making
and distributing meals weekly. Donations to support this ministry are
currently falling short of our expenses. They are distributed on
Tuesdays from 5 pm to 6 pm in front of the church. We gather at 4 pm
in Don Airey Hall following
COVID-19 precautions to
prepare the meals. If you can
help volunteer or donate, it
would greatly be appreciated.
Thank you for your continued
support.
Wednesday Boxed Dinners
Since we are not currently meeting in person meals will continue to be
available for delivery or pickup. Menu this week is: Meatloaf, Mac and
cheese, green beans and carrot cake. If you need a break from
preparing a meal just let us know to be added to the list. If you are able
to we are asking for donations to help with the cost of food and
preparation. If interested in receiving a meal, please contact June
Sanchez at 727-409-4199. Delivery area is limited.
Pastor’s Daily Devotions
Pastor John is posting daily devotions via our church FaceBook page
@christpc. Please like, comment, and share to add a blessing to
someone’s day.
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October Stewardship Update
Your CPC leadership thanks you for your continued support in financial gifts for
the ministries of the church especially in this time as we have all been affected
by Covid-19. In September, giving was at only about half of our budget. You
will be receiving more details of our activities over this past year in a stewardship
letter coming soon. As the year is coming to a close, we will be requesting your
help with pledges to better determine planning for our ministry funding for 2021.
If you have been making gifts in support of the ministries here at Christ
Presbyterian Church, we thank you for your generous heart. If you have not given
recently, we encourage you to consider doing so.
Ways to give from home:
1. Online at www.largocpc.org
2. Through GIVEplus App on Apple or Android devices
3. Mail a gift directly to the church
4. Use the bill pay option through your bank.
Your giving through any of these options allows us to meet the needs
of the ministries that Christ has entrusted us with.

CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Phone: 727-584-8695 • Fax: 727-585-1079 • 3115 Dryer Ave, Largo FL 33770
www.LargoCPC.org • email: Office.largocpc@gmail.com
Office Hours: Due to Covid-19 restrictions office is currently only open by appointment.

Pastor & Teaching Elder Rev. John A. Scott, Jr. email: Pastor.largocpc@gmail.com
Director of Music Steven Radeck email: StevenRadeck@gmail.com
Custodian June Sanchez email: JuBug616@aol.com
Youth Coordinator Sean Myers email: Seanmyers24@gmail.com
All songs used by permission CCLI #863215 and streaming CPSL 139714, Expiration date 7/31/2021

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