Riverview United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Riverview United Presbyterian Church, 3505 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214, 412.321.7300, www.riverviewupchurch.com, Rev. Steven Werth, Pastor.

Scripture –NIV

Luke 3:15-17 –

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””

Acts 8:14-17 –

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.

When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 43:1-7 –

But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Bob’s thoughts:

One of the things I appreciate most about visiting mainline churches is the likelihood of finding a cross displayed. I was not disappointed today as I appreciated the large cross draped with white suspended on the rear chancel wall.

The theme of the message was baptism and I really enjoyed the appropriate sanctuary decorations. There were long white and blue drapes hung from either side of the chancel and with a small fan under gave a reminder of running water. There was another long drape from the chancel down the steps to simulate the Jordan River. The children’s message and music were also tied to the baptism theme.

The choir exhibited a lot of power and pleasantly melded voices. It is easy to see the passion when all sing with their mouths open.

A good percentage of the church came by to pass the Peace of Christ, including choir members and pastors.

When the pastor started his message he came down off the chancel giving the effect of meeting with the congregation. The message developed well with good Scriptural references.

It all reminded me of something from one of my devotional readings this week: Christ didn’t come to the Jordan to have His sins washed away in the power of baptism… Christ came to empower the waters. Whatever your method of baptism, you are redeemed in Christ.

The Bread of Christ was offered verbally which always moves me because that makes it personal.

We enjoyed a delightful visit with the student pastor after the service. As He has done before, when we think God must be done with us in this ministry, He introduces someone into our path. It is such a joy to meet someone on fire for Christ whom He uses to reignite us.

Jan’s thoughts:

We followed some other folks entering the building and found ourselves at the front of the sanctuary, so after locating rest rooms and bulletins, found seats toward the back. By the time we sat down several people had greeted us.

The sanctuary features dark wood everywhere and today there were special decorations in recognition of Baptism of the Lord Sunday. Hanging from the ceiling on either side of the chancel were shimmering white and light blue banners with fans below to make them flutter. From a font flowed an aqua-colored chiffon-type material across the floor of the chancel, down the steps, back toward the center, under the Communion table, and partway down the center aisle. This represented the Jordan River and was littered with smooth stones and one large one for realism. The effect was quite lovely and I enjoyed just looking at it.

The bulletin was a work of art on 11 x 17 paper, including color and music, and print that was large enough to read with no issue whatsoever.

The choir increased in number as the worship hour approached and I appreciated both their beautiful harmony and volume in the music.

The student pastor spoke with the children and brought up a point I never previously considered: when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, there would have been “critters” and bugs and all sorts of living things in the water. For someone like me who does not care for water or bugs/critters, this would not have been an attractive option and it puts a new spin on the whole baptism-in-the-river thing.

In the sermon, “Through the Waters, Through the Rivers, Through the Fire,” the pastor asserted that Christ’s ministry of reconciliation began the moment He was baptized as He came up out of the Jordan and baptism into Christ “grafts us onto the vine of salvation.”

He said the location of the words of Isaiah 43 matters. In chapter 42, Israel has been disobedient, rebellious, and unjust, and human expectation would be for God to wash His hands of Israel. Instead, that’s when God turns toward them in chapter 43, declaring He will be with them through the water and the rivers and the fire. Just when it looks like all is lost, God’s love is greater…we fall short and God’s love comes to us. This, thank God, is still true today.

We appreciated the student pastor’s time following worship for some marvelous conversation as well as the many invitations to the coffee hour following worship.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray Your Spirit will fall anew on this congregation that they will remain on fire for You. Amen.

Riverview United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Riverview United Presbyterian Church, 3505 Perrysville Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15214, 412.321.7300, www.riverviewupchurch.org, Rev. Kellie Weekley Mills, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

We heard of a pastor who may be in need of a bone marrow transplant. I knew this church but had never worshiped there; however, I found that I’m too old and beat up to be considered.

The service was underway when we arrived at the Sanctuary, but we got to slip in via the front door during the Passing of the Peace.

The Sanctuary has grand stained glass, an ornate wood ceiling and Chancel. The Sanctuary is so large that it looked emptier than it was.

The Student Minister presented the sermon well, as the rest of the service. She seemed very comfortable, especially with the prayer requests.

I wondered if the organ was so loud because of the few people to sing, or vice versa. During “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” it was much better balanced.

I sensed an inward-focused church that would like to be more involved with the community, and noted a thrift store/food bank in the newsletter. I would encourage them to take Jesus out to the neighbors.

What I heard sung by the choir were good choices for a strong bass section. Their passion came through and sounded strong.

After last week I didn’t know what to expect from my prayer time for the church, but it was normal. I felt called to pray for their ministry to their neighbors and prayed for the pastor’s health.

We were greeted by a few people after the service and were given a welcome sheet.

There was a retired (I believe) minister there to serve Communion and the congregation came forward to partake, but I was disappointed that the elements were offered silently.

Jan’s thoughts:

At first I thought this building was confusing, as I walked in through a side door and the only option was to enter the elevator. However, the signage was very good, and the people were friendly and helpful.

The Sanctuary is beautiful, with unique stained glass windows, an elegant Chancel, comfortable pews, and an interesting ceiling.

The bulletin was arranged well, readable, and stapled in the center with no extra sheets to contend with.

The choir sounded marvelous, with plenty of volume. I was heartened to hear that this church celebrates Communion weekly. We were told this began some time ago and the Session chose to continue following the departure of that pastor.

We arrived late and walked into the Sanctuary during the Passing of the Peace, which wasn’t entirely bad since we ended up entering through a door at the front of the Sanctuary.

The pastor of this church has been diagnosed with leukemia, and today the Central Blood Bank was set up in Fellowship Hall accepting donations and applications to be tested to donate bone marrow for Rev. Mills. With no real idea of the size of the congregation, it looked like a relatively good turnout. (On a personal note, if you are inclined to give blood for this cause, or be tested as a possible bone marrow donor, I’d urge you to do so. This pastor has been through ringer and could use all the help possible.)
The Student Minister, Rebecca Siddle, led worship quite capably. Her time with the children was sweet and she seemed to have a natural affinity for them. She talked about measuring things and how impossible it is to measure God’s kindness toward us. A difficult concept, but the children seemed to grasp the point.

The sermon, “Immeasurably More,” was based on Isaiah 49:1-4 and Matthew 3:13-17. She began with a personal story about her reluctance to impose ashes during last year’s Ash Wednesday service, and her ability to relate to John the Baptist’s feeling of unworthiness when Jesus came to him to be baptized.

She stated that Matthew 3:15, when Jesus says to John “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” could be paraphrased “Suspend your rational thinking for the moment because God is doing something more than you could begin to understand.” I liked that.

“Then John consented.” He let go of his need for humility…and “we need to let go of humility that prevents us from doing what God asks.”

She pointed out that “our humility often protects us from our fears.” If, in the name of humility, we do not step out and do a thing God is asking us to do, because then we don’t have to risk failure, or change, or the judgment of others. Our “humility” has protected us.

What if we decide we don’t need to protect ourselves from these things? That we “don’t need our needs? What fills us up?” The answer, of course, is “God’s Spirit, power, and fullness,” as we allow Him to use us as He sees fit, to the extent He wishes, doing His work and will.

All I could think was, “Yes, that’s what I want.” I’ve been convicted of hiding behind my fears and needs and telling God how He can and cannot use me. Ouch. This sermon will be on my mind this week, and this pastor will be in my prayers for some time to come. Yours too, I hope.