Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time • August 29, 2021 • 10 a.m. 178 OENOKE RIDGE, NEW CANAAN, CT 06840 • 203-966-0002 • FPCNC.ORG

Grace and peace to you, and welcome! As you prepare for worship, please sign the red welcome pad, and pass it

to your neighbor. At the end of the row, have the last person please pass it back to the center aisle so we can know our fellow worshipers. Then, prayerfully allow the silent, sacred space of where you are, and the quiet

stirrings of the Spirit to prepare your heart and mind for worship.

T HE GAT HERIN G Prelude Prelude in Eb, BWV 552/1 J.S. Bach *Call to Worship Courtney Steininger

Leader: Come let us praise God People: For the gift of life, Leader: For the gift of our life together, People: For the gift of life in the midst of God’s creation. Leader: Come let us lay our lives before God, People: For God is the faithful, unchanging, source of hope. Leader: Come, let us worship God.

*PLEASE STAND IN BODY AND/OR SPIRIT.

If you are attending worship in-person, please sing the hymns with your mask on.

*Glory to God Hymnal No. 31 Let Us with a Gladsome Mind MONKLAND

Welcome and Announcements The Rev. Mary Marple Thies *Invitation to Confession Nell Smith

Leader: Our ancestor in the faith, John Calvin, said that one of the uses of the law is as a mirror. By looking at our own behavior up against what God’s law asks of us, we see how far we have fallen short. In confession, that is what we acknowledge. Let us then come to God, saying how it is with us, first together and then in silence.

*Confession of Sin

People: You, O God, set before us your law of love, but we, your children, while tipping our hats to that law, mostly obey other laws. We fail to love our neighbors who don’t think like us or vote like us, the ones who don’t look like us or speak like us. You command love, but we fail to live out that command. Forgive us. Break down the walls we build to keep others apart and help us to build bridges instead. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Silent confession.... Leader: In Jesus’ name. People: Amen. *Assurance of Pardon

Leader: The God who loves us into life hears our prayers, forgives our shortcomings and urges us always to follow in the footsteps of his beloved Son.

People: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Praise be to God!

*Passing of the Peace Leader: The law of God is the law of love, which calls us to love God and one another, to know and share

the peace that is God’s to give. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

People: And also with you.

(Please greet one another with a sign of the peace of Christ.)

Response for Regathering FAITHFULNESS Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided. Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

T HE WO RD Unison Prayer For Illumination Nell Smith

Holy God, let us be quick to listen to your word, but not hearers only. By your Spirit, help us to be doers as well. In our hearing and in our doing, we yield our lives to you. In the name of Jesus who obeyed fully. Amen.

First Lesson – James 1:17-27 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Second Lesson – Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Minister: Holy wisdom, holy word. People: Thanks be to God. Sermon “Those Other People” The Rev. Mary Marple Thies

R ESPON DIN G TO TH E WORD Prayers of the People Courtney Steininger The Lord’s Prayer (unison)

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Invitation to Return our Offerings: Nell Smith Leader: James reminds us that every perfect gift is from God. In thanks for all that we have received, let us

be imitators of our generous God. Let us bring our tithes and offerings to God. *Offertory “Let the peace be exchanged” from Rubrics Dan Locklair

Unison Prayer of Dedication Nell Smith Holy God, there is no variation, no shadow of change in you. You always act in love toward us your children. So we come, responding to your love with our own. Receive, bless and use all that we set before you, our gifts of time, talent and money, and our very lives, for we offer it all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

S E N D I N G

If you are attending worship in-person, please sing the hymns with your mask on.

*Glory to God Hymnal No. 301 Let Us Build a House TWO OAKS VERSES 1, 3 AND 5 ONLY

*Charge and Benediction The Rev. Mary Marple Thies Ringing of the Church Bell *Postlude “Final” from Symphonie No. 6, Op. 42, No. 2 Charles-Marie Widor

CCLI #11412435 / ONE LICENSE, License A-734274

Effective August 15, the In-Person worship services at FPCNC will continue, but masks will be required until further notice. This also applies to funerals and weddings. Out of an abundance of caution, masks will be required during indoor worship services. The in-person Sunday service will simultaneously be available streaming online via Local Live at 10:00 a.m. Please note that with warmer summer temperatures here, our air-conditioning system has been enhanced with an Ultra-violet filtration system effective in killing the Covid-19 virus. Welcome to worship on this 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in the church calendar! Using Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, Mary will preach on the church as a welcoming community.

Childcare is provided for the entirety of the service for all children under the age of 5. Additionally, there are children's bulletins available and there will be children's worship during the sermon. This week, children's worship is based on the lectionary text of Psalm 15, "God's Holy Hill."

Listening Assist System: For people now attending in-person services at FPC, we have a new Listening Assist system for those needing hearing or listening assistance. The new devices are located on the table at the rear center of the Sanctuary in front of the stained-glass windows. The receiving devices are in a new charging station and the ear- pieces are in a basket on the table. If you need assistance with the device, please ask an usher.

This year, as part of Confirmation Class, Courtney is looking to add a mentorship component as part of the program. As such, she needs volunteers willing to serve as confirmation mentors for our youth. To be a mentor, all you need is a willingness to talk about your faith with a confirmand and why you are a member of FPCNC/ the church universal. The time commitment consists of attending confirmation class on 9/12 (two hours in the evening), meeting with your confirmand match for about an hour every other month throughout the year to check in with them and attending the session meeting prior to confirmation class in the spring. Finally, I am looking for as many individuals who would be willing to serve as mentors as possible. At 5 pm on Sunday, September 12 in the common room, there will be "speed dating" between confirmands and mentors, so the more mentors the better so that all confirmands can find a mentor that they connect with. Sign-Up Genius. We really need your help at FPCNC this summer as many of our congregation travel extensively or are out of town on the weekends. Please be sure when you use this link that you GO ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST PAGE and hit "submit" that takes you to page 2. Here you will enter your email for reminders, and this will enter your name in the appropriate volunteer space. We truly appreciate your volunteering in the months ahead. Here is the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4aaaad2aa31-sunday Part of our church’s mission statement says that we are to love inclusively. To that end, the Pastoral Care Team was formed to provide pastoral care to church members who are facing a life crisis. They may be in declining health, shut-ins, living in a care facility, grieving, or struggling with a significant change in their circumstances. Sometimes, however, there are members with needs of which the Team is unaware. If you know of someone who could benefit from a friendly phone call or visit or if you have questions about the work of the Team, please call the church office, 203-966-0002. Your Pastoral Care Team— Evelyn Bergstrom, Kay Brix, Peg Bull, Ted Foster, Linda Martin, Anne Palmer and Rev. Mary Thies is here for you. Please keep the following people in your hearts. Continued concerns: Tim and Kate Albert (friends of the Holden family); Catherine Armstrong; Chris Bondor; Gloria Bridgman; John Edwards; Tindley Whipple Gilbert; Nancy Helle; Mary Bolling Hoffman; John Lanaway; Denise Lynch; Bill Malone (friend of Sarah Robinson); Bev Thomas; Debbie Murphy Williams; The Abo Noktah family (our Syrian refugees): father Khaldoun, mother Khawla Alzob, daughters Hanin, Zain and Hayat, and sons Yaman and Ahmed, and Khaldoun’s mother, Nam Abo Noktah. Let’s Talk About It New Canaan is a website that provides behavioral health resources for the citizens of New Canaan. Behavioral health is the scientific study of the emotions, behaviors, and biology relating to a person’s mental well-being, ability to function in everyday life, and concept of self. This is an excellent resource for you and your neighbors, friends, and colleagues at school and at the office (online or in-person colleagues). Please take a moment to browse the “Let’s Talk About It” website to discover various resources for promoting the health of our community: https://letstalkaboutitnc.org. Or see the promotional video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1d5PEm_rpM Special thanks to Dede Bartlett, a member of FPCNC who has been working with The NCCF Behavioral Health Partners over the past few years to provide a website with resources for the larger community.

5th Annual Community Addiction Awareness Vigil: hosted by New Canaan Parent Support Group and New Canaan Community Foundation. Wednesday, September 1, 7:30pm, Pop Up Park, 6 South Ave. Rain date Thursday, September 2. Live music, testimonials, candlelight vigil hosted by faith community, hope and remembrance.

Your new Session met on Tuesday, August 10, with a full agenda and a head of steam for the year to come. Following a brief social gathering, Reverend Scott opened the meeting at 7 PM with some welcome adult education targeted at new and ongoing Presbyterian Elders.

By a distance, the most important items discussed at this meeting were two personnel matters: Tina’s decision to retire and move her family closer to her daughter in North Carolina later this year. Although her decision to retire was inevitable, it nevertheless is a blow. Thirty-three years is a long time and a lot of history but, as always, Tina is a pro and will be working through the transition with us - and the core storage locker on her neck, full of facts and context, will be available to us for some time to come, and Victoria Shields, who has faithfully served us through many changes in the past five years, has recently been appointed Director of Music at Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Westport, CT. More to come on timing for expressing our appreciation in the coming weeks. After a vigorous discussion, the unanimous decision was made to reinstate the requirement for masks in the sanctuary. A preliminary plan is underway for a potluck at the manse later this year, as well as Christian Education for Youth and Adults after Rally Day. Courtney is making steady progress with the children and youth programs, with 24 children from 15 families participating in the Fun Friday’s Program over the summer and the confirmation class shaping up in the range of 4-8 youth. Church finances are in good shape, with expenses well under control and some generous recent receipts. And finally, plans for Rally Day (September 12), when we welcome everyone back from the summer, are also coming together. We hope to have a bagpiper with us on the day - and Old Faithful will be here for the children. Here’s hoping for a much-needed cooling-off period in the weather! John Lanaway and Jen Van de Graaf, Co-Clerks of Session

THIS WEEK at FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH of NEW CANAAN Summer Office Hours: June 21 – September 3, 2021

9–4 pm Monday-Thursday and 9-1 on Fridays.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 10 a.m. Worship Service via LocalLive and in-person

The Rev. Mary Marple Thies preaching 11 a.m. Coffee Hour, in person and via Zoom Farewell Reception for Victoria Shields TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 10 a.m. Leadership Team 8 p.m. Men’s A.A. Group

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 9:15 a.m. A.A. Group (closed) 10:30 a.m. A.A. Group (open) SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 10 a.m. Holy Communion via LocalLive and in-person

Courtney Steininger preaching 11 a.m. Coffee Hour, in person and via Zoom

IT’S FINALLY RALLY DAY! SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12TH, 10AM*

We sure are looking forward to seeing you on September 12th to celebrate a new school year, and new beginnings! We’ll enjoy a wonderful welcome-back community service led by Rev. Scott Herr, followed by Fall festivities and refreshments on the front lawn. Mark your calendars and get ready for some family fun, catching up again with old friends and meeting lots of brand new ones. Visit www.fpcnc.org for all the up-to-the-minute Rally Day details. *Rain date, Sept. 19th. We can’t wait to see you!

THOSE PARTICIPATING IN TODAY’S SERVICE:

Ushers: Peggy Hooker and Janet Lanaway Lay Reader: Nell Smith

MINISTERS

The Entire Congregation

OUR PASTORS

The Rev. Dr. R. Scott Herr, Senior Pastor • The Rev. Mary Marple Thies, Parish Associate

OUR STAFF Victoria Shields, Director of Music and Arts • Sherry Tate, Cherub Choir Director

Courtney Steininger, Director of Youth and Children Ministries Jim Riehl, Interim Church Administrator • Tina St. Armand, Office Manager

Kate Stringfellow, Operations Manager