Willow Creek Presbyterian Church of Argyle

August 15, 2021

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Rev. Lauren Patrus-Betzel

7300 Belvidere Road Phone (815) 885-3455 Caledonia, Illinois 61011 Email: willowcreekchrch@aol.com Website: www.willowcreekpc.org

“Breaking the Code”

A Community of Faith Growing Together

Sharing the Love of Christ

Come, celebrate the love of God in Jesus Christ with us! Following CDC guidelines, our Session recommends that everyone wears a mask while in the church building. All are invited to sing

and pray and participate in liturgy.

OUR APPROACH TO GOD

Prelude “Do Lord”” Dot Short Sung by the 3/4 Time Quartet, Vocals Copyright by Sweet Adelines

Welcome and Sharing

Call to Worship (from Psalm 34)

One: O fear the Lord, you holy ones. All: Those who fear the Lord have no want. One: Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. All: We seek the One we are in awe of. Come, let us worship God!

*Hymn No. 366 “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” Charles Wesley

1 Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling; all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion; pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation; enter every trembling heart.

2 Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast; let us all in thee inherit; let us find the promised rest. Take away the love of sinning; Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.

3 Come, Almighty, to deliver; let us all thy life receive; suddenly return, and never, never more thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above, pray, and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love.

4 Finish then thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be; let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee: changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Prayer of Confession

Holy Redeemer, we confess that we sometimes cling to the words on the page more than the Word that Lives. We confess that we sometimes fear the conviction and confusion found on the holy page, and so we turn to the next page, instead of faithfully facing our discomfort. We confess that our confusion can cloud our ability to hear your wisdom and see the world as you do. Heal us from our need to understand. Hear our silent prayers of confession.

A period of Silent Confession

Assurance of Pardon (from Psalm 34)

One: Look to Christ, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed. All: Our souls cry and are heard by the Lord. One: The angel of the Lord encamps around us and delivers us. All: Oh taste and see that the Lord is good. One: Happy are those who take refuge in the Lord. All: We take refuge in Jesus Christ, in whose name we are forgiven! Thanks be to

God!

*Gloria Patri Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be World without end. Amen, Amen. *Passing of the peace of Christ

One: The peace of Christ be with you! All: And also with you!

INVITATION TO THE WORD

Prayer for Illumination

First Reading Ephesians 5:15 - 33

15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27 so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. 33 Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Holy wisdom, holy Word.

Special Music “Gospel Medley” Stuart K. Hine Sung by the 3/4 Time Quartet, Vocals - Copyright Barbershop Harmony Society

(Children are invited to go downstairs for Sunday school)

Second Reading Ephesians 6:1 – 9

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise: 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. 5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; 6 not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free. 9 And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Sermon “Breaking the Code”

OUR RESPONSE TO SERVE

Hymn no. 459 “O Word of God Incarnate” William Walsham How

1 O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high, O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky: we praise you for the radiance that from the hallowed page, a lantern to our footsteps, shines on from age to age.

2 The church from you, dear Savior, received this gift divine; and still that light is lifted on all the earth to shine. It is the chart and compass that, all life’s voyage through, amid the rocks and quicksands still guides, O Christ, to you.

3 O make your church, dear Savior, a lamp of purest gold to bear before the nations your true light, as of old; O teach your wandering pilgrims by this our path to trace, till, clouds and storms thus ended, we see you face to face.

Call to Offering

Offertory “Alleluia” Greg B Sung by the 3/4 Time Quartet, Vocals Copyright Sweet Adelines

Please use this time for prayer and reflection on how God is moving you to give – of your time, talent and resources. If you feel moved to give to Willow Creek Presbyterian Church, you can mail contributions to the church office, or use the button on our website (WillowCreekPC.org), or use this QR code to give through

your smartphone, or you may leave your offering in the baskets at the back of the sanctuary as you leave after worship.

*Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessing flow; Praise God all creatures here below;

Praise God above ye heavenly hosts; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Gracious God, we know you provide our every need. We give out of what you have given to us. Use these gifts and us for the purpose of sharing your love, so that all may know the grace and freedom found in you.

Prayers of the People & Lord’s Prayer (debt/debtors)

*Hymn no. 450 “Be Thou My Vision” Slane

1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that thou art; thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true Word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord; thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower; raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

3 Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise; thou, mine inheritance, now and always; thou and thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

4 High King of Heaven, my victory won, may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Charge and Benediction

Postlude “Irish Blessing” Don Gray Sung by the 3/4 Time Quartet, Vocals Copyright SPEBSQSA *If you are able, we invite you to honor God by standing.

Thank you to our Liturgist Rebekah Landi and Recording Director Steve Picken.

The bulletin cover art is based on a sketch by David Ensminger.

From July 11th to August 22nd our sermons will focus on Ephesians. Ephesians is one of the New Testament letters, and it may have been written to a specific church, but it is also a letter to our church. How might God’s living word nurture new life in our church today as we receive this letter?

Special Singers!

Please welcome and enjoy music from the “3/4 Time Quartet” as they share their harmonies with us. Singers: Jeanne Anderson (Lead)

Diane Dunk (Tenor), Mary Rapp (Bass) Carolyn Vaassen (Baritone)

CHURCH OFFICERS

The Ongoing Efforts of the Persons Listed Below Are Greatly Appreciated Ministers All Members of the Body of Christ Pastor Rev. Lauren Patrus-Betzel Bookkeeper Diane Van Vleet Secretary Peggy Knoepfle Chairperson of Deacons Jim Hall Church Treasurer Loren Buffington Clerk of Session Maren Reid Organist and Chancel Choir Accompanist Tom Andrew Worship Music Director Elizabeth O’Leary Co-Financial Secretaries Penny Picken & Sandra Bell Head Ushers: Steve Picken, Matt Rankin, John Reid, Ed, Rottman,

Gene Wheeler, Jim Ralston Prayer Chain Coordinators: Delores Hall & Kim Reid Youth Sponsors: Lucas Greenlee and Maren Reid

SPECIAL MISSION PROJECTS OF THE CHURCH Empower Boone Food Pantry – empowerboone.org & Old Stone Church Babies Angel Closet – Food & items up to 24 month given to mothers who are referred to us Habitat for Humanity – boone-il-habitat.org Kemmerer Village - kemmerervillage.org Families in Need – funds from our Christmas Cookie Walk helps families in our community in

times of crisis For 2020, Marion Medical Mission – mmmwater.org

Members and friends to remember with prayers, cards or visits:

Home: Lee Pickett, Dave Ensminger, Pat & Richard Nortch Retirement Home: Geralyn Greenlee-N. Woods, Lois McEachran-W. Willows,

Carolyn Miller-Atrium For our prayer chain, e-mail halldee-jim@att.net, or call the church.

Please pray for those who are visiting and for those who are not yet here.

Please pray for our sister church, LORNE AND LOWLAND in Scotland.

Session: Class of 2021 Class of 2022 Class of 2023

Maren Reid; Jeff Cummings; Abby Guthrie Sandra Bell; Mary Beth Gratz; Mike Landi Marie Wiersema; Karli Rankin; Jim Ralston

Deaconate: Class of 2021 Class of 2022 Class of 2023

JoAnn Buffington; Gyneth Lamont Delores Hall; Jim Hall Donna Hamilton

Children’s Sunday school, August 15th, & 22nd, 2021 @ 10:30 am. We will meet in person. Children can go down to sunday school after the scripture.

Adult Sunday school:

Every Sunday at 9:00 am

Starting September 12, 2021

August 15 – 22 , 2021 Church Calendar

Sun 8/15 Tues 8/17 Fri 8/20 Sun 8/22

10:00 am 10:30 am 8:00 am 6:00 am 6:30 pm 10:00 am 10:30 am

Worship in the Parking Lot – (Can bring lawn chairs and sit in family groups, or can sit in cars). Special Music by 3/4 Time Quartet, Vocals Children’s Sunday school B & G Committee Meeting W & M Committee Meeting Media Committee Meeting Hybrid Worship Service Special Music by Lucas Greenlee, Pipes Children’s Sunday School