Worship resources for 8/07

August 7, 2022 Ninth Sunday of Pentecost Genesis 15:1-6 COMMENTARY As a college chaplain, I recruited various faculty, staff and students to give weekly chapel messages. Reading Genesis 15:1-6, I recalled the chapel service for which I’d recruited my staff colleague John Salazar. I followed the lectionary calendar for our chapel services and John’s service fell on the day Genesis 15:1-6 was assigned. In this passage, God promises elderly Abram countless descendants, even though he and his wife Sarah had yet to conceive. The text couldn’t have been a more painful selection for John. He and his wife Sarah were still recovering from the devastating news that they would not be able to have children. I told John he didn’t have to use the assigned text. “Feel free to skip it, choose a different text,” I said. But John decided to stick with his assignment, to see where the text and the Spirit would lead. Abram is lauded for his faithfulness and trust in God. Hebrews 11:8-16 describes Abraham as the one who followed God into unknown territory, guided only by God’s promises. He rarely questions or complains — except when it came to his and Sarah’s ability to conceive. Abram was old; Sarah had been barren a long time. So when God says, “Do not be afraid, Abram, your reward shall be very great,” Abram questions that God can give him the reward he truly desires — a child. “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless?” You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for Aug. 7, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. Where’s your treasure? — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale  General Assembly 225 in photos by Presbyterian Outlook  Mid-Kentucky Presbytery offers original, GA-themed worship resources to the PC(USA) by PNS IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Cheers and tears Rev. Stephanie Sorge writes a love letter to her fellow clergywomen. Choosing our seasons Rev. Katy Shevel processes her recent divorce through the lens of Ecclesiastes 3. Are we subject to the patterns of life? Or do we have agency in naming our own “seasons”? You are in the Spirit! Rev. William E. W. Robinson wonders, how is it possible to be “in” the Spirit? Books we love: Practically Divine Rev. Rebecca Gresham-Kesner shares how a book by Becca Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms, helped her to claim the holiness of female wisdom and arts and crafts. Finding our way home A uniform lesson for Aug. 7, 2022, by Richard Boyce. Gender and leadership in the PC(USA): Looking at the data Angie Andriot, a research analyst for the PC(USA), paints a picture of the current state of women in leadership for the denomination using data. There is room to grow. Books briefly noted: COVID fiction Outlook Book Review Editor Amy Pagliarella suggests some must-read, modern books about COVID fiction. Did you hear? Faith Presbyterian Church of Baytown, Texas, is celebrating 100 years of Presbyterian presence in our beloved city of Baytown.