2026-07-19 - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

# St. John's United Church of Christ — July 19, 2026 **Theme: Esther: From Sadness to Joy** ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar - **Eighth Sunday after Pentecost** — Season after Pentecost (Ordinary Time) - **RCL Proper 11 / 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A** - **Liturgical color:** Green — growth, discipleship, the long "green season" of ordinary faithfulness - St. John's follows the Narrative Lectionary during the program year (Year 4 – John concluded on Pentecost, May 24, 2026; Year 5 begins in September). This Sunday falls within a **summer sermon series on Esther**, whose theme title comes directly from Esther 9:22 — the day "sorrow was turned into joy." ### Jewish Calendar - **~5 Av 5786** (Shabbat Parashat Devarim falls the day before, July 18 — "Shabbat Chazon," the Sabbath of Vision preceding Tisha B'Av) - This Sunday sits inside the **Nine Days**, the most intense stretch of the **Three Weeks** (Bein HaMetzarim) of communal mourning that culminates in **Tisha B'Av (~July 23, 2026)**, commemorating the destruction of both Temples. - **Striking resonance:** the church reads Esther's reversal — "from sorrow into gladness, from mourning into a holiday" (Esther 9:22) — during the very week the Jewish calendar dwells most deeply in communal sorrow. Purim and Tisha B'Av are the two poles of the Jewish liturgical emotional year; today's theme holds them together. ### Ecumenical & Global Observances - **Nelson Mandela International Day** (July 18) — a global call to service and justice; resonates with Esther's advocacy "for such a time as this." ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary — Proper 11, Year A) For reference; the congregation is preaching Esther instead: - **Semicontinuous:** Genesis 28:10–19a; Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24 - **Complementary:** Isaiah 44:6–8; Psalm 86:11–17 - **Epistle:** Romans 8:12–25 - **Gospel:** Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 *Note: Esther appears in the RCL only once (Proper 21B), making a dedicated Esther series a genuine rarity in mainline preaching.* ### Connection to Today's Message The service moves along Esther 9:22's axis: **reversal**. The Call to Worship prays "from sadness to joy, from fear to trust, from hate to love, from war to peace." The Benedictus (Luke 1:68–79) — Zechariah's song of God visiting and redeeming — and Psalm 124 ("if it had not been YHWH who was on our side") both name deliverance from enemies, the same deliverance the Esther reading narrates. Notably, Esther is the biblical book that never names God; today's liturgy surrounds it with texts that name God's rescue explicitly, an interpretive move worth watching in the sermon. ## Order of Worship **Recording:** [Full service video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ) | Element | Timestamp | |---------|-----------| | Welcome & Announcements | [23:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=1428s) | | Call to Worship | [28:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=1713s) | | Hymn #566 — O God, Our Help in Ages Past | [29:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=1776s) | | Prayer of the Day | [32:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=1934s) | | Prayer for Illumination | [33:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=1985s) | | Scripture — Luke 1:68–79 (Sarah Shiraki) | [33:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=2023s) | | Responsive Reading — Psalm 124 | [35:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=2147s) | | Special Music — Shout to the Lord | ~[37:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=2220s) | | Children's Message (Roxanne Davenport) | [41:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=2460s) | | Scripture — Esther (Pastor Caroline) | [51:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3072s) | | Sermon | [55:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3346s) | | Nicene Creed | [1:07:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4057s) | | Joys and Concerns | [1:09:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4172s) | | Pastoral Prayer & Lord's Prayer | [1:18:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4706s) | | Invitation to Giving & Offertory | [1:20:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4841s) | | Prayer of Dedication | [1:23:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=5032s) | | Hymn #509 — Trust and Obey | [1:24:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=5061s) | | Commission & Benediction | [1:27:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=5274s) | ### Gathering #### Gathering Song: "This is the Day" *(Based on Psalm 118:24. Commonly the chorus by Les Garrett, 1967 — under copyright; text not reproduced. The song simply repeats the psalm verse: this is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.)* [[Psalm 118#24]] #### Unison Welcome "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here" #### Announcements #### Passing of the Peace "The peace of Christ be with you" — "And also with you" #### Chiming of the Trinity #### Prelude #### *Call to Worship *Written by Pastor Caroline, inspired by the World Peace Prayer* God, you have called us to this time and place. **You have invited us to sit and rest, to sing and pray.** We do not have to hurry. **We do not have to worry.** For here, we are found and fed. **Here, we are nurtured and nourished for the work ahead.** Inspire us, Holy One, as we spend time with you and one another, **that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.** Move us from sadness to joy, from fear to trust, **from hate to love, from war to peace.** **Let peace fill our hearts, fill our worship, our world, and our universe.** #### *Hymn #566: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" *Words: Isaac Watts, 1719 (paraphrase of Psalm 90). Music: ST. ANNE, William Croft, 1708. Public domain.* 1. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home! 2. Under the shadow of Thy throne Thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. 3. Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame, from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same. 4. A thousand ages in Thy sight are like an evening gone; short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. 5. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears mortals all away; they fly, forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. 6. O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be Thou our guard while life shall last, and our eternal home. #### *Prayer of the Day *Adapted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion* God of courage, you gave Esther the strength to speak out and the intelligence she needed to save her people. Help us to believe that you are still present and active in this world and that your grace remains as an everlasting force in our lives. You are our guide and help. In you, we place our trust. Encourage us in our struggle to confront the oppressor and free the oppressed, so that all people may know the justice and unity of your realm. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. #### *Prayer for Illumination *Adapted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion* Your Word is our salt; without it, we lose our being, our joy, and our ability to endure. Melt us, mold us, fill us, and use us, O God, for your purposes. Open our hearts and our minds to listen, really listen, to your Word today. Amen. ### Word #### Scripture Reading: Luke 1:68–79 (The Benedictus) ![[Luke 1#68]] ![[Luke 1#69]] ![[Luke 1#70]] ![[Luke 1#71]] ![[Luke 1#72]] ![[Luke 1#73]] ![[Luke 1#74]] ![[Luke 1#75]] ![[Luke 1#76]] ![[Luke 1#77]] ![[Luke 1#78]] ![[Luke 1#79]] #### Responsive Reading: Psalm 124 (The Inclusive Bible) *As printed in the bulletin, from The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation:* "If it had not been YHWH who was on our side" – let Israel now say – **"if it had not been YHWH who was on our side, when enemies attacked us, they'd have swallowed us up alive!** When their anger burned against us, the flood would have swept us away, **the water would have drowned us, the raging torrent would have engulfed us!"** Blessed be YHWH, who has not let us fall prey to their teeth! **We are free like a bird from the trap! The snare has been broken and we are free! Our help is in the name of YHWH, who made heaven and earth.** ![[Psalm 124#1]] ![[Psalm 124#2]] ![[Psalm 124#3]] ![[Psalm 124#4]] ![[Psalm 124#5]] ![[Psalm 124#6]] ![[Psalm 124#7]] ![[Psalm 124#8]] #### Special Music: "Shout to the Lord" *Darlene Zschech, 1993 (Hillsong). Under copyright — text not reproduced. The song is a declaration of praise addressed to Jesus, drawing on psalmic imagery (mountains bowing, seas roaring — cf. Psalm 96:11–13; 98:4–8). Provenance note for the research file: Hillsong catalog.* #### Children's Message — Roxanne Davenport *Children's Corner will be offered following the Children's Message* [41:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=2460s) **Camels** — prop: a sewing needle. Camels appear more than 70 times in the Bible. Facts shared: one hump or two, up to 35 gallons of water in a drink, humps store fat (not water — "the fallacy"), two-toed feet for sand, thick fur, long eyelashes, up to 2,200 lbs, gentle and devoted when treated well, spit only when upset or scared. Biblical references walked through: Pharaoh gives Abraham camels and the caravan sent to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis); John the Baptist's camel-hair coat (Matthew 3:4); the camel through the eye of the needle (Matthew 19:24) — camels as a sign of wealth, so the audience understood the analogy; straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel (Matthew 23:24) — religious leaders obsessing over minor rules while ignoring "poverty, and justice, and mercy, and faithfulness." Application: be like camels — steady, adaptable, carrying great loads, serving others, sharing what we have. Closing prayer: "Help us to be like camels. Carry that heavy spiritual load and serve others with kindness, love and mercy." #### Scripture Reading: Esther 7:1–10; 9:1–2, 20–22, 29–32 **Esther 7:1–10 — Esther's banquet and Haman's fall** ![[Esther 7#1]] ![[Esther 7#2]] ![[Esther 7#3]] ![[Esther 7#4]] ![[Esther 7#5]] ![[Esther 7#6]] ![[Esther 7#7]] ![[Esther 7#8]] ![[Esther 7#9]] ![[Esther 7#10]] **Esther 9:1–2 — The day of reversal** ![[Esther 9#1]] ![[Esther 9#2]] **Esther 9:20–22 — "From sorrow into gladness": the institution of Purim** ![[Esther 9#20]] ![[Esther 9#21]] ![[Esther 9#22]] **Esther 9:29–32 — Queen Esther's letter of authority** ![[Esther 9#29]] ![[Esther 9#30]] ![[Esther 9#31]] ![[Esther 9#32]] #### Sermon — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton ##### Sermon Notes *Completed from the full livestream transcript. Timestamps deep-link to the [service video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ). The Esther reading — read by Pastor Caroline herself — was from the CEB ("stake," "impale," seventy-five feet).* ###### Introduction - Opening prayer [55:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3346s): "Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us," followed by Psalm 19:14 ("may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts..."). - Opening illustration [56:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3360s): Natalie Sleeth composed the anthem "Joy in the Morning" (1977) for the West Virginia Wesleyan College Concert Chorale, for the inauguration of her husband, Ronald E. Sleeth, as the college's 13th president. Personal memory: Pastor Caroline's mother directing her choir at St. Petri Lutheran Church, Story City, Iowa, preparing the piece for Easter Sunday 1998 or 1999. Arranged as a congregational hymn in the mid-1990s. - Lyrics quoted [56:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3408s) pivot the Easter anthem toward Esther: these words "speak of the movement from sadness to joy, which we find in the Book of Esther and in the testimonies of our own lives." ###### Main Points ####### Point 1: The great reversal — and its ritualization [57:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3441s)–[1:00:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3646s) - Series recap from Esther 4 [57:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3441s): Esther "pondered what it meant for her to have influence as queen for a moment like this, and how she could wield that influence wisely." - Between chapters 4 and 7 [57:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3469s): two banquets; the king's insomnia and the reading of the annals; Haman's ego-trap ("thinking egotistically, of course, that the king is speaking of him"); the forced parade for the honoree Mordecai; the second-banquet reveal [58:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3522s); Haman impaled on the "ludicrously tall" 75-foot stake he built for Mordecai. - "Esther determined that her influence is worth wielding. There are risks worth taking, and evil cannot prosper." [59:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3580s) - The people ritualize their deliverance [1:00:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3602s): Purim as a holiday in which food and funds are shared — "the people ritualize what happened in story, song, and festivities, the movement from sadness into joy." ####### Point 2: "Here's where it gets a bit sticky" — the massacre and proportionality [59:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3548s)–[1:01:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3675s) - Chapters 8–10 describe the great reversal's dark side [59:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3548s): instead of being persecuted, the Jews of the kingdom kill 75,000 of those who hate them. - Kathryn M. Schifferdecker quoted [59:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3565s): the massacre "is ethically troubling to modern readers, but seems to be part of the hyperbole of the book, like the six-month feast and the seventy-five-foot-tall stake. The humor of the book relies in great part on hyperbole and coincidence." - Refuses the easy ending [1:00:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3646s): "we could end the story on a high note with salvation and celebration, but I don't think that we would be doing justice to the text and the questions it raises in interpretation if we did." - Proportionality named as a theme of Esther [1:00:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3646s): "the reminder that we are restrained in our actions, especially when it comes to retribution." The Levitical lex talionis [1:01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3660s) "were meant to keep harm from spiraling out of control. The desire for revenge and violence cannot become all that we do and all that we are." ####### Point 3: Weaponized scripture and the question of whose side [1:01:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3675s)–[1:03:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3837s) - "South African scholar Sarojini Nadar has studied the weaponization of the Bible, and particularly how the Book of Esther has been distorted to normalize violent ideologies." [1:01:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3675s) — note: Nadar's work is Esther-specific, which grounds this whole move. - Contemporary application [1:01:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3690s): "I find it horrifying to realize that this is the book that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to defend the killing of over seventy thousand people, mostly unarmed civilians, including more than twenty thousand children. It's an ancient text that is being misinterpreted and misused to justify modern atrocities." - The interpretive challenge named [1:01:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3715s): "how we can celebrate survival without subscribing to the **myth of redemptive violence**" — Walter Wink's coinage, verbatim. - Danielle Strickland quoted [1:02:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3722s): "Oppression produces fear. Fear produces loyalty to power, and loyalty produces complicity. People perpetuate cycles of destruction while thinking they are acting for survival or justice." - Esther herself [1:02:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3745s): "But Queen Esther is never truly free. She is trapped in fear, her identity hidden, her story celebrated as righteous while it enacts mass violence." - Psalm 124 pairing was deliberate [1:02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3765s): it "reads very differently when you are the one who has been oppressed rather than the one who is the oppressor... When you are the ones at risk of being harmed, this text is a comfort. But when you are the ones authoring the harming, perpetuating acts of violence or hatred, not so much." - **New in full transcript** [1:02:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3772s): "The Black church tradition can point to these words as a sustaining presence in their experience in a racialized society." - The Civil War-era wish for God on our side [1:03:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3795s), inverted [1:03:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3820s): "But what would happen if we decided to be on God's side? What if we chose the side of compassion and mercy, forgiveness and love? I think that would be a true move from sadness to joy, from oppression to liberation." ####### Point 4: Stories shape possibilities — writing a different ending [1:03:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3837s)–[1:07:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4031s) - Two weeks in Ireland, specifically Northern Ireland, on a guided spiritual retreat with peace-and-justice folks from the U.S. and Canada — "in many ways, what I did was go on a pilgrimage." [1:03:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3837s) - Facilitators Gareth Higgins and Brian Ammons (spoken as "Brian Adams") [1:04:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3877s): "the stories we tell shape the possibilities we can imagine" — "absolutely correct, both for peoples and places." - Jesus as "the best [storyteller] that I know" [1:04:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3890s): stories that make us think, challenge, comfort, and "open us up for how God is at work in the world." - The Benedictus (Luke 1:68–79) [1:05:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3900s): deliverance and salvation, mercy and rescue, God's deep compassion — "the dawn of heaven will break upon us to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide us on the path of peace." - "Esther is both a story of survival and also a story of **warning**, for it challenges us to see how fear, trauma, and the misuse of power can twist even the heroic narratives into instruments of oppression. And it also invites us to write a different ending to our own stories, to stop repeating behaviors that kill, steal, and destroy" (John 10:10 allusion). [1:05:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3950s) - "The move from sadness to joy is one that invites a broader range of possibilities than had been there before as we imagine the world as it could be with a life-giving future." [1:06:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3960s) - "I cannot help but hope for what has yet to be born, hope for what I cannot see, and to wait with patience and expectation for a new day" (Romans 8:24–25 echo). [1:06:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3985s) - Closing call [1:06:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3996s): "Let us be storytellers who awaken ourselves and our neighbors to a broad range of possibilities, giving voice to God's love for the world, bending the arc of the moral universe towards justice" (Parker/King, unattributed), "and walking with each other from sadness to joy, from fear to trust, from hate to love" — a direct callback to the Call to Worship. "May we aspire to be peacemakers and justice seekers, proclaimers of God's new age. Amen." [1:07:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4031s) ###### Illustrations/Stories - Natalie Sleeth's "Joy in the Morning" and the preacher's mother's choir in Story City, Iowa — personal, intergenerational, musical. - Northern Ireland pilgrimage — peace-and-justice retreat; the Troubles as implicit backdrop for "stories shape possibilities." - American Civil War "God on our side" rhetoric. - Gaza casualty figures as the live case of weaponized scripture. ###### Scripture Connections - [[Esther 7]] / [[Esther 9]] — preached text (CEB) - [[Psalm 124]] — standpoint-dependent reading, paired deliberately by the preacher - [[Luke 1#68]]–[[Luke 1#79]] — Benedictus as the gospel frame for peace - [[Leviticus 24#20]] — lex talionis as restraint on retribution, not license - [[John 10#10]] — "kill, steal, and destroy" allusion in the closing turn - [[Esther 4#14]] — "a moment like this," carried forward from the prior series week - [[Romans 8#24]]–[[Romans 8#25]] — "hope for what I cannot see, and wait with patience" echo (this morning's actual RCL epistle, likely coincidental) ###### Key Quotes - Pastor Caroline's coda to her own reading of Esther [55:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3335s): **"I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true."** - "Some might say that a coincidence is a miracle in which God prefers to remain anonymous." [59:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3590s) - Schifferdecker on hyperbole (Point 2 above) [59:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3565s) - "The desire for revenge and violence cannot become all that we do and all that we are." [1:01:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3660s) - "...without subscribing to the myth of redemptive violence." [1:01:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3715s) - The Strickland chain: oppression → fear → loyalty → complicity [1:02:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3722s) - "The Black church tradition can point to these words as a sustaining presence in their experience in a racialized society." [1:02:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3772s) - "What would happen if we decided to be on God's side?" [1:03:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3820s) - "The stories we tell shape the possibilities we can imagine." [1:04:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3877s) - "Esther is both a story of survival and also a story of warning." [1:05:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=3950s) ###### Attribution & Transcription Corrections *The first (sermon-only) transcript garbled several names; the full livestream transcript confirms the preacher's attributions were accurate:* - **Ronald E. Sleeth** — confirmed by name in the full transcript (first transcript had "Ronald Easley"). - **Kathryn M. Schifferdecker** — confirmed by name (first transcript: "Catherine M. Schiffer"). Luther Seminary; Working Preacher / Narrative Lectionary commentator — the expected source stream for this congregation. - **Sarojini Nadar** — confirmed by name (first transcript: "Sarah Jeanie Mayord"). University of the Western Cape; doctoral work specifically on Esther; publishes on scripture, gender, and violence. - **Danielle Strickland** — confirmed by name (first transcript: "Daniel Strickland"). Source work for the quoted chain still worth requesting from Pastor Caroline. - "Brian Adams" — spoken this way in both transcripts, but Gareth Higgins's retreat co-facilitator is **Brian Ammons** (The Porch, Ireland retreats); likely a slip of the tongue or persistent mistranscription. - First-transcript quote errors corrected against the full transcript: "give me my **life**" (not "my land"); "story of **warning**" (not "mourning"); "myth of **redemptive violence**" (not "the victimized"); "trapped **in fear**" (not "trapped and hidden"). - "seventy-five feet high" is CEB's rendering of fifty cubits. ##### Personal Reflections ###### What spoke to me: ###### Questions raised: ###### Challenges/Convictions: ###### Liturgical Context Reflections: *(Prompt: the congregation reads Purim's "sorrow turned to joy" during the Jewish Nine Days of mourning before Tisha B'Av. What does it mean to proclaim reversal while neighbors are lamenting? Also: Esther never names God — how does the sermon handle divine hiddenness vs. the liturgy's explicit naming of YHWH's rescue?)* ##### Applications ###### This week I will: ###### People to pray for: ###### Follow-up study: ##### Connections - Series thread: picks up explicitly from the prior Esther week ("We left off with the story... in Chapter Four") — link that sermon note once identified. - [[Hermeneutical Genealogy]] and [[Lateral Transfer Risk]] — both frames applied in the analysis below; this sermon is unusually rich source material for both concept pages. - Nine Days / Tisha B'Av juxtaposition (see Liturgical Context) — the sermon's critique of celebratory violence lands during Judaism's own season of mourning destruction; the pairing sharpens rather than softens the sermon's point. - Working Preacher / Narrative Lectionary commentary stream (Schifferdecker) — consistent with this congregation's NL commitments even in a summer series. #### Comprehensive Sermon Analysis ##### 1. Sermon Summary — 5/5 **Central Message:** The movement from sadness to joy is God's direction of travel and worth ritualizing (Purim), but joy purchased through unexamined retributive violence corrupts the story; disciples are invited to write different endings — to join God's side of compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and love rather than conscripting God onto theirs. Both personal transformation (storytelling, hope) and communal responsibility (peacemaking, justice-seeking) are in view. **Liturgical/Thematic Focus:** Title lifted directly from Esther 9:22; the closing triad ("from sadness to joy, from fear to trust, from hate to love") is a verbatim callback to the Call to Worship, closing the liturgical loop. Tightly integrated with the summer series arc. ##### 2. Preaching Style Assessment — 5/5 Primary blend: **Narrative** (series recap, personal pilgrimage testimony) + **Prophetic** (weaponized-scripture critique, Gaza) with an **inductive spine** — the "sticky" complication is allowed to genuinely destabilize the celebration before resolution arrives via the Benedictus. The blend suits Esther (itself a narrative satire) and an Open and Affirming congregation formed for justice-oriented preaching. Style is legible throughout; no drift. ##### 3. Storytelling and Illustration — 5/5 Four registers: musical/family memory (Sleeth anthem, mother's choir), international peacebuilding (Northern Ireland), national history (Civil War), and current events (Gaza). Women's voices are structurally central — Sleeth, Schifferdecker, Nadar, and Esther herself read critically rather than hagiographically. Global South scholarship cited. Every illustration returns to the text; none free-floats. ##### 4. Intonation and Delivery — 4/5 (transcript-limited) Written cadence indicates measured pacing with rhetorical questions as pivots ("What would happen if we decided to be on God's side?") and the sadness-to-joy triad as an aural throughline. No audio-level assessment possible from transcript; no congregational reactions (laughter, verbal response) captured. Score held at 4 pending audio review. ##### 5. Content Structure — 5/5 Anthem hook → series recap → textual climax → ethical complication → contemporary application → pilgrimage testimony → gospel reframe → commissioning call. Transitions are explicit and honest ("Here is where it gets a bit sticky"; "we could end the story... but"). The Call to Worship callback provides retention through liturgical repetition rather than restatement. ##### 6. Engagement and Application — 4/5 Congregation is addressed as co-storytellers, and the oppressed/oppressor distinction explicitly centers the marginalized (unarmed civilians, children). Applications are real but remain dispositional — be peacemakers, tell better stories — with no concrete practice, partner organization, or communal next step named. One notch off for actionability. ##### 7. Scripture Handling — 5/5 - **Texts referenced:** Esther 4; 7:1–10; 9:1–2, 20–22, 29–32; Psalm 124; Luke 1:68–79; Leviticus 24 (lex talionis); John 10:10 (allusion); Romans 8:24–25 (echo); Psalm 19:14; Esther 4:14. - Rare mainline honesty: engages Esther 9's massacre rather than stopping at 9:22. Genre-critical reading (hyperbole, satire, coincidence) deployed responsibly via Schifferdecker. Lex talionis correctly framed as restraint on retribution, not license. Psalm 124 subjected to live standpoint analysis. The Benedictus is integrated, not decorative. Text functions as foundation, not launchpad; divine hiddenness implicitly honored ("I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true"). ##### 8. Logical Reasoning — 4/5 **Strong reasoning:** - Explicit counterargument move: refusing the easy ending ("we could end the story on a note with salvation and celebration, but...") — the sermon anticipates and forecloses its own most comfortable version. - Standpoint reasoning on Psalm 124 — valid perspectival analysis, not relativism; the text's meaning tracks the reader's position relative to power. - Genre-based resolution of the ethical problem (hyperbole reading) rather than apologetic hand-waving. - The Strickland causal chain (oppression → fear → loyalty → complicity) used analytically as an explanatory model, not merely rhetorically. **Watch items:** - *Attribution compression:* Netanyahu's October 2023 invocation was of **Amalek** (Deuteronomy 25:17–19 / 1 Samuel 15). Esther connects via Haman the **Agagite** (descendant of Agag, king of Amalek), so the traditions are genealogically linked — but "this is the book that... used" slightly overstates the direct citation. Impact: minor; the underlying claim about weaponized scripture stands, and the full transcript confirms Nadar's scholarship is specifically on Esther's weaponization, which grounds the sermon's move even if Amalek remains the more precise 2023 referent. Improvement: "the scriptural tradition behind this book." - *Appeal to emotion:* casualty enumeration ("over seventy thousand... more than twenty thousand children") functions affectively and is unsourced in the moment. Grounded in credible reporting, and appropriate to the prophetic register — but the persuasive mechanism is emotional, worth naming. - *Unattributed aphorisms:* "arc of the moral universe" (Theodore Parker via MLK), the Lincoln-adjacent "God's side" inversion, and the "anonymous miracle" saying all circulate without attribution. Minor rigor cost, no logical fault. ##### 9. References — 5/5 Kathryn M. Schifferdecker (Lutheran, Working Preacher), Sarojini Nadar (South African, feminist biblical scholarship — her doctoral specialty is Esther itself), Danielle Strickland, Gareth Higgins & Brian Ammons (Northern Irish peacebuilding / narrative spirituality), Natalie Sleeth (church music), Walter Wink implicitly ("myth of redemptive violence"), and the Black church interpretive tradition on Psalm 124 named explicitly. Genuinely diverse: women scholars, Global South voice, Black church tradition, peace practitioners — no all-white-male citation pattern. All named attributions confirmed accurate by the full transcript (the earlier deduction reflected transcription garbling, not the preacher's citations); the remaining unattributed borrowings (Parker/King, Lincoln) are noted under Logic. Raised from 4 on the sermon-only transcript. ##### 10. Quotes and Illustrative Stories — 5/5 "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true" is the sermon's hermeneutical thesis compressed into one line — and was delivered as the coda to the *reading itself*, framing everything after it. The anonymous-miracle aphorism names Esther's famous divine hiddenness without a lecture. The Strickland chain hands the congregation a reusable analytical tool. All quotes tie directly to text and lived experience. ##### 11. Calls to Action — 3/5 Clear commissioning language ("Let us be storytellers... aspiring peacemakers and justice seekers, proclaimers of God's new age") tied to justice and discipleship. But: single modality (spoken), dispositional rather than practical, and no personal, communal, or systemic step named — no practice to adopt, organization to join, or action to take this week. The congregation leaves inspired but unscheduled. ##### 12. Style Effectiveness Analysis — 5/5 The narrative-prophetic blend matches a satirical narrative text and lets the sermon hold celebration and critique simultaneously — which is Esther's own tonal register. Alternative framings: a fully expository version would gain textual granularity but likely lose the Gaza application's force; a first-person narrative (Esther's voice) would humanize but risk softening the critique of her constrained agency; an inductive-contemplative version would suit the divine-hiddenness theme but underserve the prophetic urgency. Auditory and intrapersonal learners best served; kinesthetic and visual learners least — a spoken standpoint exercise on Psalm 124 ("read it once as the endangered, once as the empowered") would extend reach without changing style. ##### 13. Hermeneutical Awareness — 5/5 The sermon performs its own hermeneutics in public: names genre (hyperbole, satire, coincidence); names reception history and its weaponization; performs standpoint criticism live on Psalm 124, explicitly crediting the Black church tradition; distinguishes the text from its misuse ("misinterpreted and misused"); and flags the interpreter's own temptation ("we all wish to claim that God is on our side"). The preacher's coda to her own reading even models a truth-claim taxonomy (historical facticity vs. narrative truth). This is the rubric category working exactly as designed. ##### Scoring Summary | # | Category | Score | |---|----------|-------| | 1 | Sermon Summary | 5 | | 2 | Preaching Style | 5 | | 3 | Storytelling & Illustration | 5 | | 4 | Intonation & Delivery | 4 | | 5 | Content Structure | 5 | | 6 | Engagement & Application | 4 | | 7 | Scripture Handling | 5 | | 8 | Logical Reasoning | 4 | | 9 | References | 5 | | 10 | Quotes & Stories | 5 | | 11 | Calls to Action | 3 | | 12 | Style Effectiveness | 5 | | 13 | Hermeneutical Awareness | 5 | **Total score: 60/65** *(59 on the sermon-only transcript; References raised 4→5 after the full transcript confirmed all named attributions and surfaced the Black church tradition reference.)* ##### Side-by-Side Comparison: Narrative-Prophetic vs. Fully Exegetical | Aspect | This Sermon's Style | Fully Exegetical Version | |--------|--------------------|--------------------------| | Primary Style | Story-driven recap + prophetic contemporary application | Verse-by-verse through 7:1–10 and 9:20–32 | | Stories | Sleeth anthem, Ireland pilgrimage, Civil War, Gaza | Persian court protocol, Adar and the *pur* (lot), Agagite/Amalek genealogy as background | | Scripture Depth | Genre reading, standpoint criticism, canonical pairing (Psalm 124, Benedictus) | Hebrew wordplay (*pur*/*goral*), the absence of God's name, LXX Additions to Esther and their theological "corrections" | | Application | Dispositional: be storytellers, peacemakers | Systemic: Purim's carnival inversion as institutionalized critique of imperial power | ##### Hermeneutical Genealogy (non-scored) Interpretive lineages operating in this sermon, traced: - **Satire/hyperbole reading of Esther** — modern literary criticism: Adele Berlin (JPS Commentary, 2001) mainstreamed the comic-satire genre argument; Schifferdecker carries it into the Working Preacher / Narrative Lectionary stream this congregation drinks from. Presented in the sermon as scholarly consensus, which is broadly fair for mainline academia, though historicity-affirming readings persist in evangelical commentary. - **Feminist/postcolonial critique of Esther's agency** — "never truly free... trapped in fear, her identity hidden" descends from Phyllis Trible's *Texts of Terror* method (1984) through womanist and Global South readings; Nadar's doctoral work on Esther sits squarely in this line. The sermon inherits the move of honoring a character while refusing hagiography. - **Standpoint hermeneutics on the Psalms** — "reads very differently when you are the one who has been oppressed" is liberation-theology method (Gutiérrez's epistemological privilege of the poor; Cone's reading site) applied to Psalm 124 — and the full transcript shows the preacher naming her source tradition explicitly: "The Black church tradition can point to these words as a sustaining presence in their experience in a racialized society." Its lineage is worth knowing because the same move, inverted, powers prosperity readings ("this promise is for *us*"). - **Myth of redemptive violence** — "how we can celebrate survival without subscribing to the myth of redemptive violence" is Walter Wink's coinage (*Engaging the Powers*, 1992), naming the pervasive belief that violence saves and order requires it. Its verbatim appearance confirms a Wink lineage in the sermon's peace theology, consonant with the Northern Ireland retreat context and the Strickland complicity chain. - **Narrative theology** — "the stories we tell shape the possibilities we can imagine" arrives via Higgins/Ammons (The Porch, Ireland retreats) but upstream runs through Hauerwas/MacIntyre narrative ethics and ultimately the claim that communities are constituted by their stories. - **Civil-religion critique** — the "God's side" inversion is attributed in American memory to Lincoln (likely apocryphal in exact wording); its homiletical function is to interrupt nationalist proof-texting. - **Counter-genealogy the sermon opposes** — the Amalek-extermination trajectory: Deuteronomy 25:17–19 → 1 Samuel 15 → Haman the Agagite → Purim reception. Weaponized instances include Baruch Goldstein's 1994 Hebron massacre (committed **on Purim**) and the 2023 Netanyahu Amalek invocation. The sermon compresses this trajectory into "this book"; the fuller genealogy actually strengthens the point — Purim's reception history is precisely where the sadness-to-joy script has been flipped into license. - **Aphorism provenance** — "a coincidence is a miracle in which God prefers to remain anonymous" is widely misattributed (Einstein et al.); it circulates in Esther preaching specifically because the book never names God. Function here: smuggles a gentle providentialism back into a divinely silent text. ##### Lateral Transfer Risk Audit (non-scored) - **Inversion certainty risk — low-moderate.** "Be on God's side" critiques conscripting God, but the inversion can re-import the same certainty if "God's side" is presumed self-evident. Mitigated here: the sermon immediately defines the side by content (compassion, mercy, forgiveness, love) rather than by group membership. The framework transfers safely only with that definition attached. - **Supersessionism adjacency — moderate, partially mitigated.** A Christian pulpit critiquing a Jewish festival text while condemning Israeli state violence, during the Nine Days, is exposed terrain. Mitigations present: fault located in "misinterpretation and misuse," not in the text, the festival, or the people; Purim's ritual wisdom is honored (Point 1) before the critique arrives. Gap: no explicit sentence distinguishing Judaism/Jewish people from Israeli state policy — worth raising gently if this becomes a series pattern. - **Statistical proof-texting pattern — low.** Unsourced casualty figures mirror the authority-borrowing move flagged in high-control rhetoric (numbers as unanswerable trump cards). Here the figures are defensible and the register prophetic, but the *mechanism* is the same one the WHO corpus uses with attendance and healing counts — the difference is verifiability, and that difference is the whole point. Good discernment example. - **Providence smuggling — low.** The anonymous-miracle aphorism reintroduces providentialism into a book structured around divine absence, in mild tension with the sermon's own genre honesty. Harmless here; the pattern (filling scriptural silence with comforting certainty) is the thing to watch elsewhere. - **Healthy contrast case.** The closing triad repetition ("from sadness to joy, from fear to trust, from hate to love") is liturgical callback, not escalation — repetition that returns worshipers to a shared communal text rather than building emotional momentum toward compliance. Useful counter-example to NAR worship-build mechanics for the taxonomy. ##### Recording Notes - Analysis based on two transcripts: an initial sermon-only export and the full livestream transcript ("Sunday July 19th 2026 – Esther – From Sadness to Joy," exported 2026-07-22). Where they conflict, the full transcript governs; see Attribution & Transcription Corrections. - Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ). All timestamps are livestream clock, deep-linked with `&t=Xs`. - Full transcript captures welcome (mention of VBS "Snowball Mountain Challenge" beginning tonight), Call to Worship, both readings, children's message, sermon, Nicene Creed, Joys and Concerns (five congregants), pastoral prayer, dedication, and benediction. Hymns, special music, and offertory music are untranscribed gaps in the audio. - Reading translation: CEB, read by Pastor Caroline, with her added coda "I don't know if the story happened this way, but I know that the story is true" — not part of the biblical text. - Congregational engagement visible in the transcript: children's message call-and-response, five spoken prayer requests, pastoral responses to each. ### Response #### Nicene Creed: An Affirmation of Faith (Hymnal Companion C-10) We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; Through Him all things were made. For us and for our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered death and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. #### Sharing of Joys and Concerns [1:09:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4172s) *As spoken in worship; recorded here for personal prayer use.* - **Judy** [1:10:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4203s): prayers for Ontario and Minnesota, especially First Nations villages obliterated by wildfire; understanding and compassion from those living south; prayers for rain. - **Courtney** [1:11:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4264s): West Coast wildfires and their health impacts near and far (local headaches at a kid's birthday party); testimony of grace — seen by the pain management doctor within a week, back injection scheduled within another week to squash the creeping pain early; work instability amid the U.S. economy and AI's impact on the job market, so getting medical care done while insured; midlife caregiving season — my mother-in-law's fiancé of sixteen years passed away; prayers that she and my husband communicate well about what support each needs. - **Jenna** [1:14:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4440s): turmoil between her two oldest kids (one called child abuse services on the other out of pettiness); prayers they bury the hatchet and return to being loving sisters. - **Virginia** [1:15:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4505s): her mother has had several strokes with declining cognition; an oppressive, isolating marriage complicates access to care and family contact; prayers for care, visitation, and navigating it all. - **Amanda** [1:17:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4622s): thanksgiving — outpatient surgery two weeks ago went well, follow-up this week, hoping to return to work; continued healing prayers; prayers for family members and a good friend and her daughter; welcomed Pastor Caroline back from Ireland. Pastor Caroline's responses wove each prayer into "God, by your grace, hear our prayer," with particular tenderness toward Courtney: "When you are the one who holds all things together personally and professionally... You are not alone. We are here, and God is here." [1:13:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4401s) #### Prayers of the People and the Lord's Prayer (debts) [1:18:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=4706s) Pastoral prayer themes: gratitude for gathering; God hears "the prayers of our hearts and our lips"; "Help us, God, to be the people that you desire for us to be. To embody peace and compassion. To be caregivers and way makers"; "We do not know what the future may hold, God, but we know that you are the one who holds it and you hold us"; "Continue to strengthen us for the journey ahead. To tell stories and imagine possibilities" — the sermon's storytelling theme carried directly into the prayer. Concluded with the Lord's Prayer. #### Invitation to Giving #### Offertory #### *Offertory Response #706: "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" *Words: Thomas Ken, 1674. Music: OLD HUNDREDTH, Genevan Psalter, 1551. Public domain.* Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. #### *Prayer of Dedication *Adapted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion* Blessed be the Lord, for God is good, and God's love endures forever. Our Creator, help us to mirror your goodness through this offering, in the world. Grant us the gifts of wisdom and discernment to see what we're called to do and live with faith and courage to change the world for you. Amen. ### Sending #### *Hymn #509: "Trust and Obey" *Words: John H. Sammis, 1887. Music: TRUST AND OBEY, Daniel B. Towner, 1887. Public domain.* 1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word what a glory He sheds on our way! Let us do His good will; He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. *Refrain:* Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 2. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He does richly repay; not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. *(Refrain)* 3. But we never can prove the delights of His love until all on the altar we lay; for the favor He shows, and the joy He bestows, are for those who will trust and obey. *(Refrain)* 4. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, or we'll walk by His side in the way; what He says we will do, where He sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey. *(Refrain)* #### *Commission & Benediction [1:27:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0z9iBtYQ&t=5274s) Traditional charge (1928 Book of Common Prayer lineage, drawing on 1 Thessalonians 5:13–22): "Go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good. Render to no one evil for evil. Strengthen the fainthearted. Support the weak. Help the afflicted. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the Holy Spirit." Followed by a sung response — the final stanza of Brian Wren's "There's a Spirit in the Air" (1969, Hope Publishing; under copyright, text not reproduced): the Spirit filling praise, God in Christ come to stay, living tomorrow's life today — an apt final word for a sermon about writing different endings. #### Postlude (seated) ## Worship Leadership | Role | Person | |------|--------| | Pastor | Rev. Caroline E. Saxton | | Organist | Barbara Motichka | | Choir Director | Gary Crum | | Praise Team | Diana Kongkeattikul, Swann Kongkeattikul, Barbara Motichka, Courtney Robertson, Roxanne Davenport, Chris Willman-Bunge | | Deacon in Charge | Diana Kongkeattikul | | Lector | Sarah Shiraki | | Children's Corner | Chani Wolfe | | Media Coordinators | Calvin Frantz and Neath Ham | | Bulletin cover | Edd Scheer | **The Flowers at the Foot of the Cross** are given in loving memory of our mother Edna L. Scubelek by Sue McMurtray and Wayne Scubelek. **Birthdays this week:** 07/21 Connie Stenger; 07/23 Maurice Marotte III and Kevin Woy; 07/24 Beckhym Collier; 07/25 Kirk Johnson and Kiana Smith. ## Church News & Announcements ### This Week at St. John's **TODAY:** NO Bible Study on the book of Ecclesiastes — (Will begin on Sunday, July 26). VBS starts today through Thursday July 23. **Monday, July 20** - 1:30 pm — Afternoon Book Study (Chapter 5) — Conference Room 111 - 6:30 pm — Bible and a Beer — The Trojan Diner **Tuesday, July 21** - 10:20 am — Piano Tuning — Choir Room 103 - 5:30 pm — Yoga — Room 202 **Sunday, July 26** - 8:45 am — K–12 Faith and Fellowship — Youth Room 206 - 8:45 am — Wired Word Church School Class — Room 116 - 8:45 am — Upper Room Church School Class — Conference Room 111 - 10:00 am — Sunday Worship — Sanctuary - 11:15 am — Confirmation Conversation — Room 116 - 3:00 pm — Summer Singers Concert — Sanctuary - 8:00 pm — Bible Study on the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1 (Zoom link in Friday e-blast) ### Announcements **Summer Special Music** — A sign up is posted on the choir room door for those who would like to help provide special music in worship this summer. Singing or playing a musical instrument. Contact Gary Crum to learn more. **Summer Church School Classes** — Both the Wired Word and Upper Room adult church school classes will meet throughout the summer. Additionally, a K–12 Faith and Fellowship opportunity in the youth room. See Diana Kongkeattikul or Roxanne Davenport with questions re: Faith and Fellowship. **Gratitude Sunday** — Sunday, August 30: a celebration of "This is Us" — who we are and sharing what we love about our church. Share photos in advance or bring them. Pancake breakfast at 8:45 in Fellowship Hall, worship to follow at 10 am. **Summer Prayer Gatherings** — Final summer prayer gathering at St. John's Camp at 9:30 am on **Saturday, August 22**. Sign-up sheet at the welcome center. **Antietam Battlefield Walking Tour** — August 4, 2026, 9 am start, 3 hours, $20/person (plus park entrance fee unless you have a park pass). Cash gratuities optional. Wear comfortable shoes; bring bug repellent and water. Sign up: Harold Collier, [email protected]. **Monday Afternoon Book Study** — Chapter 5 of Adam Hamilton's *The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life*, Monday, **July 20**, 1:30 pm, Conference Room 111. **Summer Snacks for NETwork Ministry** — Collection boxes for non-perishable snacks in the front lobby. Suggested items posted on bulletin boards and in the July/August Spirit. **Summer Singers in Concert** — **Sunday, July 26, 3 pm** at St. John's UCC. **Sweet Treats: Ice Cream Social** — **Sunday, August 16** after worship. Sign up at the Welcome Center to bring homemade ice cream or baked goods. **Summer Quarter First Fruits** — May, June, and July support the Race Against Poverty (RAP), Maranatha Ministry, and United Way's Stuff the Bus. **Stuff the Bus** — United Way school supply drive, **July 6–31**. Boxes in the vestibules. **Blessing of the Animals** — Outside on **Sunday, August 9**. Pets welcome in person or via photo. **Sunday Night Bible Study** — Pastor Caroline, Sunday evenings 8 pm via Zoom, Book of Ecclesiastes beginning **Sunday, July 26**. Zoom Meeting ID: 836 0593 5961, Passcode 277938. Hyperlink in the weekly e-blast. **July/August Upper Room** devotionals available at the Welcome Center. Suggested donation $1 small print / $2 large print. Contact the church office to have a copy mailed. **Want to Stay in Touch?** Contact the Church Office to be added to the email list — weekly emails, Diana's Devotionals, and/or the Prayer Chain. ## Vision & Mission **St. John's Vision:** We are called to love, to learn, to worship and to witness in Christ as a congregation that welcomes everyone, and seeks service that will advance God's realm on earth. **St. John's Mission:** To grow in love of God and neighbor ## Contacts - The Rev. Caroline E. Saxton, [email protected], (641) 260-1868 (cell) - Tonya Schwartz, Office Administrator, [email protected], (717) 263-8593 (office) - Gary Crum, Music Director | Barbara Motichka, Organist - Roxanne Davenport, Director of Children & Youth - The Rev. Stephen W. Hoffman, Pastor Emeritus ## Worship Resources - Call to Worship written by Pastor Caroline and inspired by the World Peace Prayer - Prayer of the Day adapted from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion and Revised Common Lectionary Prayers - Feasting on the Word Worship Companion - The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation