Sharon Community Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sharon Community Presbyterian Church, 522 Carnot Road, Moon Township, PA 15108, 412.264.7400, www.sharonpc.com, Becky Branch-Trevathan, Pastor.

 

Scripture – Philippians 3:4-14 NIV

…though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 

Bob’s thoughts:

We had looked forward to revisiting this church to see the dynamics with a new pastor.

I remembered the striking wrought iron cross above the covered entrance and the larger cross inside. There is also a rustic cross at the edge of the upper parking lot that I assume might be adorned with seasonal wrap.

This was our first occasion to try to worship in a church within Allegheny County and we were not prepared. Retrospectively I suspect members were to register if coming to church (based on post-visit research) and had we known, we would not have tried to visit. We did not expect to be questioned, temperature checked, and required to sign a waiver absolving the church, let alone assigned seating by some random formula. Masks were required throughout the service.

Once seated in the pew we met the pastor, who explained some of the parameters for worship there. She also got to say a few words at the beginning and end of the service. The rest of the service was on video screen. There was a particularly lovely song from the praise team.

I believe we were both so irritated how the government can come to rule so much of how church will be done that neither of us felt worthy to partake in Communion. The government seems to be determined to keep Christ out; my heart goes out to His Church to be restricted so.

If I heard the children’s sermon correctly, I must comment on basic Christian theology: faith in Christ does not have to be a lifelong endeavor. Too many times I have witnessed deathbed conversions like the criminal crucified with Christ.

A good thought from the message on the Christian way of compassion: we have what we believe and need to show compassion to those who believe differently. And a favorite line, “to be vaccinated in humility.”

 

Jan’s thoughts:

In compliance with CDC guidelines (and presumably Gov. Wolf’s edicts, though that was not specifically stated), as we walked into this church we had our temperatures taken, we each had to sign a waiver, we were told where to sit and that we were expected to wear our masks throughout the service even though worshipers were seated with a row of vacant pews between them. In the course of all this, several folks necessarily and genuinely welcomed us.

Music was led by several folks off to one side of the sanctuary. We requested seats toward the back as volume is sometimes an issue for us; the usher sat us as far back as they were permitting seating, which was about the halfway point, which turned out to be fine. It speaks volumes about the singers’ ability to enunciate when I could understand them through their masks.

The children’s message was pre-recorded, another new thing during “these times.” It focused on the idea of a trophy for running a race (or a similar competition) and winning a prize. The presenter closed by reiterating her points, stating that you don’t get the trophy of going to Heaven if you’re a Christian for only one day. This surprised me, as I had interpreted Christ’s parable of the landowner in Matthew 20:1-16 to mean exactly the opposite. Not to mention the criminal crucified next to Him who believed in Him and Jesus told him he would be with Him in paradise.

The sermon was presented by Dr. Graham Standish, Executive Director of Samaritan Counseling. The message was called “Losing it All and Pressing On” and in it he spoke of historical figures who had failed in some sense and who learned humility because of their failure. Their humility then allowed them to succeed on a godly path. He stated it’s possible to be a religious success and a spiritual failure, and that failure moves us from certainty to humility.

 

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray You will carry Your church through this attack. Encourage their compassion for those who are hurting. Your Church has always been at its best when oppressed because You carry Your people. May it continue to be so. Amen.

Sharon Community Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sharon Community Presbyterian Church, 522 Carnot Road, Moon Township, PA 15108, 412.264.7400, www.sharonpc.com, Rev. Dr. Doug Marshall, Interim Pastor.

Scripture – NASB

Luke 14:15-21 –

When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, "Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

But He said to him, "A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.' But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.' Another one said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.' Another one said, 'I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.' And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'

2 Samuel 9:1-13 –

Then David said, "Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet." So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar." Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he said, "Here is your servant!" David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." Again he prostrated himself and said, "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?"

Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.

Bob’s thoughts:

I enjoyed being able to worship in church again and it was nice to return to Sharon. We were greeted at the door by the pastor and by a number of people, including a brother Marine.

It was enjoyable to not have to wonder if there will be a cross on the wall.

The time for silent confession was way too short for me.

A number of people greeted us during the passing of Christ’s peace.

I found the flute during the offertory delightfully refreshing.

I thought video of the children was being projected on the screen during the children’s time but then realized it was just a photo. I couldn’t see it well from where we sat and couldn’t believe how they were sitting still.

The sermon, “Mephibosheth WHO?” drew a great correlation of God’s grace for us hopeless sinners. The fear Mephibosheth must have felt to be called up to David’s presence, as we come, unworthy, to God. One statement I liked: “We all have fears that cripple us.” There was a thought for meditation that I’m sure Jan will include.

Jan’s thoughts:

We drove past this church the other day and wondered what might have changed since our last visit, which seemed much longer ago than a year and a half.

The signage was helpful and prominent. Several folks greeted us as we entered, before the service began, and afterward. A number of people invited us to attend the annual picnic scheduled for right outside immediately following the service; unfortunately we had other plans and could not attend but we truly appreciated the hospitality.

The membership is gearing up for their bicentennial celebration in 2017; there seem to be many other events in motion as well.

The sanctuary was just as lovely as I recalled. We sat in the last pew, as usual, in order to avoid any potential issues with volume. However this time it backfired, as the organ was immediately behind us in the balcony, and it was quite loud.

I loved the “Thought for Meditation” in the bulletin, adapted from Craig Barnes: “The gospel’s open secret is that strength is found in weakness. Crippled people know that they need a Savior. The goal isn’t to avoid disability. The goal is to find the Savior. And our dis-ability is always the means for discovering the Savior’s ability.” It fit perfectly with the sermon and contains much truth. What it doesn’t say is that we are all crippled somehow…not all disabilities are visible.

The sermon was entitled “Mephibosheth WHO?” It has been a while since I read the story, but this message connected some dots for me.

The pastor pointed out that Mephibosheth was about 5 years old when his father was killed, which would have been traumatic and would have caused Mephibosheth to spend the first part of his life living in fear. He reminded that fear cripples us all.

Mephibosheth would also have expected David to try to kill him, as that was the usual order of events, so when David sought him out asking, “Where is he?”, the pastor reminded that this is the same question God asks when He seeks us out, because we hide too.

Mephibosheth begged for his life, and David simply said his name, just as God calls us by name, because we are not just impersonal identifiers, we are people with names. Mephibosheth was a disabled man living in fear who was invited to enjoy provision, honor, and relationship with the king, just as we are invited to eat at God’s Table and to enjoy His provision, honor, and a relationship with Him.

David’s giving all this to someone with nothing to give in return reflected God’s same gifts to us because it is Who God is and what He does.

I deeply appreciated hearing this message today as it cleared up a mystery for me. It was also a touching reminder of a time when God spoke my name to me at a period of extreme worry in my life. I have always marveled at all He communicated in that single syllable, not the least of which was that He had not forgotten me. In that moment I learned I not only had a name, but that God knew and remembered it. A precious memory indeed.

I savored the opportunity to participate in Communion, as it had been a while, and the piano accompaniment during the sacrament was a perfect complement.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church will find Christ’s strength in their weakness. Amen.

Sharon Community Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sharon Community Presbyterian Church, 522 Carnot Road, Moon Twp., PA 15108, 412.264.7400, www.sharonpc.com, Rev. Roger P. Howard.

Scripture – Ezekiel 18:1-32

The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:

“ ‘The parents eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “

As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.

“Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right. He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife or have sexual relations with a woman during her period. He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He does not lend to them at interest or take a profit from them. He withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties. He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign Lord.

“Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood or does any of these other things (though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines. He defiles his neighbor’s wife. He oppresses the poor and needy. He commits robbery. He does not return what he took in pledge. He looks to the idols. He does detestable things. He lends at interest and takes a profit.

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:

“He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife. He does not oppress anyone or require a pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor and takes no interest or profit from them. He keeps my laws and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

“Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

“But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life. Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die. Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!"

Bob’s thoughts:

I was glad to be led back to worship at Sharon Presbyterian Church. It is a pleasant sanctuary with a larger cross over grill work.

A welcome group stood at the door but they seemed to be waiting for us to make an overture.

There are two projection screens, however the one on the right was not readable.

The organ was so loud I couldn’t tell if my wife beside me was singing. Maybe it was because there were only a couple dozen in worship, but I was sorry I didn’t have earplugs.

The directional signage to the downstairs rest rooms was good; some of the other signage could only be seen from one direction.

The sermon could be summed up with the following quote: “God is not fair, thanks be to God.” We should all be grateful that we don’t get what we deserve but instead are granted His mercy.

It was announced that the pastor of 19 years had resigned. I am encouraged with the pastor’s plans; it will be a chance for rebirth for both him and the church. I hope we get to visit the church again and see how Christ is using them.

Jan’s thoughts:

We last visited this church about 7 years ago and today chose to attend the 8:30 service. Unfortunately some recent changes had affected attendance at this service.

As we walked in the door the narthex was full of things on display with some signs that likely indicated their purpose but were a mystery to me.

One gentleman, whom I guessed to be the greeter, stood in the narthex just outside the door to the sanctuary and the two ushers stood just inside that doorway. We entered and stood looking around the narthex but it was left to us to initiate the greetings. Once inside the sanctuary several others said hello, including the pastor.

Ornate wrought iron nearly covers the rear wall of the chancel and the white ceiling is accented with delicate-looking chandeliers.

As usual we sat toward the rear, but today the organ and pipes were in the rear balcony, so once the music began we quickly realized we should have sat closer to the front. I could feel the bass, so I think my issue with the volume was more than just my personal issue. During hymns it was impossible to know if anyone else was singing.

During the Passing of the Peace everyone present sort of met in the center aisle where all exchanged greetings.

Both projection screens were visible from where we sat, but the one on the right was drowned in light so I used the other. However the black-and-white background graphic made it difficult to read the white words being projected. The timing was excellent.

In the sermon entitled “God Desires Life; and Responsibility,” the pastor emphasized God’s desire for everyone to live but that we should refer to our disobedience as sin, not character flaws or mistakes as our culture has taken to doing.

During the time of Joys and Concerns, the gentleman who was the liturgist announced that the session had accepted the resignation of the pastor and encouraged the congregation to show their appreciation to the pastor.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we are so grateful that You do not give us what we deserve. Thanks be to You for Your grace. Amen.