The Speck and the Log

July 16, 2023
 
Prelude
Stephanie Shorden

Greeting
Rev. David Petty

*Call To Worship
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Leader: When we see others through the eyes of God, our focus becomes clear. Our brothers, our sisters, ALL God's children are we.
People: Let us embrace God's love. Experience God's compassion and God's peace.
Leader: This is the day the Lord has made.
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

*Gathering Song
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
UMH #103
WORDS: Walter Chalmers Smith, 1867 (1 Tim. 1:17)
 
1. Immortal, invisible,
God only wise,
in light inaccessible
hid from our eyes,
 
most blessed,
most glorious,
the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious,
thy great name we praise.
 
2. Unresting, unhasting,
and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting,
thou rulest in might;
 
thy justice
like mountains
high soaring above
thy clouds
which are fountains
of goodness and love.
 
3. To all, life thou givest,
to both great and small;
in all life thou livest,
the true life of all;
 
we blossom and flourish
as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish,
but naught changeth thee.
 
4. Thou reignest in glory;
thou dwellest in light;
thine angels adore thee,
all veiling their sight;
 
all laud we would render:
O help us to see
’tis only the splendor
of light hidest thee.

Mystery Box

Prayer Song
Come Away with Me
v. 1 TFWS #2202
WORDS: Mary Nelson Keithahn  MUSIC: John D. Horman © 1997 Abingdon Press, admin. by The Copyright Co.

1. Come away with me
to a quiet place,
apart from the world
with its frantic pace,
to pray, reflect,
and seek God’s grace.
Come away with me.
Come away.

Pastoral, Silent and, The Lord’s Prayer
Pastor Donnie Sturgill

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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power and the Glory forever.
Amen

Prayer Response

Come Away with Me
v. 2 TFWS #2202
WORDS: Mary Nelson Keithahn  MUSIC: John D. Horman © 1997 Abingdon Press, admin. by The Copyright Co.

2. Come and pray with me
on a gentle sea,
on top of a hill
in the Galilee,
in gardens like
Gethsemane.
Come away with me.
Come away.

Invitation to Offering
CLM Twinkle Gordon

Offertory

Prayer of Thanks and Dedication
Pastor Donnie Sturgill

*Doxology
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow
 
Praise God, from whom 
all blessings flow; 
Praise God, all creatures 
here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! 
 
Praise God, the source 
of all our gifts! 
Praise Jesus Christ, 
whose power uplifts! 
 
Praise the Spirit, 
Holy Spirit! 
Alleluia! Alleluia! 
Alleluia!

Scripture Reading
Matthew 7:1-5
CLM Twinkle Gordon

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Prayer for Illumination

Leader: May the words of my mouth,
People: and the meditations of all of our hearts
All: be acceptable in your sight, O Lord our rock and our redeemer.
Psalm 19:14

Message
The Speck and the Log
Pastor Donnie Sturgill

*Hymn
Come and Find the Quiet Center
TFWS #2128
WORDS: Shirley Erena Murray MUSIC: Attr. to B. F. White © 1992 Hope Publishing Co.
 
1. Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead, 
find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed:
Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes that we can see.
all the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be.
 
2. Silence is a friend who claims us, cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us, knows our being, touches base,
making space within our thinking, lifting shades to show the sun,
raising courage when we’re shrinking, finding scope for faith begun.
 
3. In the Spirit let us travel, open to each other’s pain, 
let our loves and fears unravel, and celebrate the space we gain:
There’s a place for deepest dreaming, there’s a time for heart to care,
in the Spirit’s lively scheming there is always room to spare.
 
*Benediction
Pastor Donnie Sturgill

Postlude
Stephanie Shorden