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The First Presbyterian Church of Gaylord, 513 Charles Brink Road, Gaylord, MI (2026)

09/13/2026

THE ART OF FORGIVENESS
SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 103. 1-13
GENESIS 50.15-21
MATTHEW 18.21-35
LYNN LARIVIERE, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
SPECIAL MUSIC: CHRIS GILLING
PRAYER FOCUS: MARIAN SCOTT

09/13/2026

THE ART OF FORGIVENESS
SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 103. 1-13
GENESIS 50.15-21
MATTHEW 18.21-35

Both stories that we have heard this morning, deal with forgiveness among other issues. I knew what I want to say, but did not know how to start it. I guess, it ties in with the sermon last week on reconciliation. So, I had a conversation with Kris and her sister Jen about forgiveness. Though the conversation broke off into many different venues, if I could record the conversation, I think it would have sufficed for the sermon. The first comment out of each of their mouths, forgiveness is hard; then it went on from there.

In the reading from Genesis, now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers were concerned about retribution for selling Joseph to slave traders. Again, much like in the passage five chapters before, Joseph assured the brothers that it was God’s intent for the way things came about. Then to fast forward several generations, the families ended up as slaves to the Egyptians. How do we know if something is God’s will or not. There is a story attributed to the Buddha: A famer’s horse ran off, the neighbors gathered as said how bad the situation was; the farmer said “maybe.” Then the next morning, the horse returned with three wild horses, the neighbors again gathered, saying how fortunate for the farmer; again, the farmer said “Maybe.” A couple of days later, the son tried to ride on of the wild horses and broke his leg; the neighbors gather saying how terrible; the farmer said “maybe.” Then a week later the army came through the village looking for “volunteers”, then noticed the son’s broken leg, so they move on. The neighbors gathered saying how fortunate; again, the farmer said, “maybe.” We can never know how one event will play out that leads to another event. Many will say that God’s providence was with them, the farmer would say, “maybe.”
This plays into forgiveness, and how to move on from there. What if someone borrows money, but never pays it back? Do we hold onto the grudge, or forgive, moving on, learning not to loan money to the person again. Does that also mean never loaning money to another person at all? What of a divorce, how long does it take for forgiveness to happen? What if our child is hit and killed by a drunk driver, how soon can we forgive the driver, if ever? What of Friday’s observation of 9/11?

We forgive, because we are forgiven. To put into comparison, the parable from Matthew, the amounts owed was ten thousand talents to the king; a talent being the equivalent of a 15 years earning for the common person. That means the slave owed the king about 6 thousand lifetimes. The slave is forgiven of his debt. But he comes upon someone who owes him hundred denarii, a denarius being about one day’s earnings. One hundred days are very small compared to the 6 thousand lifetimes. How much have we been forgiven over our lifetimes? Each week, or in some cases, every day, praying the Lord’s Prayer, we ask for forgiveness, and also for the forgiveness of others that may owe us. There is a saying, attributed to several people, resentment and not forgiving is like drinking poison, hoping for the other person to die.

There have been scientific and medical studies of people who forgive and those who do not. There are times when people just cannot forgive, they hold on to the pain and resentment. Think of a divorce or the aforementioned child killed by a drunk driver. Forgiveness is about growth and being able to move beyond. To forgive another may not change the other person, but the one forgiving, will find peace within.

I am sure you all have your own stories of forgiveness, when you forgave another, and when you were forgiven. It is a story as old as time itself. Forgiveness is hard work, that is why we need to practice it more often, so it comes easier. Is there someone you need to forgive, even if it is yourself?

09/10/2026

SIXTEENTH WEEK OF PENTECOST; SEPTEMBER 10, 2026

Grace and greetings to all.

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week, there is no immediate reason behind the naming of the prayer week focus other that the names come next on the mailing/contact list alphabetically. As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up in prayer, and I am suggesting that we lift each other up daily, with emphasis of families and individuals changing weekly; this week’s Prayer Focus is: MARIAN SCOTT.

*Celebration of Life for Betty Hawthorne, Thursday, September 17th, at Prestwick Village Golf
Course in Highland, MI.

*CROP WALK, September 27th at the Pavillion starting at 1 PM.

*Do not forget to sign up for our Fellowship Dinner, Thursday, October 1, at the Pine Squirrel,
Call Scot Hutton for reservations.

JOYS FROM LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE

*Prayer Focus: NAN ROBINSON…
*Marian Scott is 99…
*Family and friends, Dennis Dunklee’s sister, Cathy; Vance’s son and family; Cooper from downstate…
*Cooper’s grandmother is 93…
*Cooper Berry, Susan Dunklee’s grandson, will be starting Kindergarten…

OUR PRAYERS REQUESTED FROM LAST SUNDAY
*Dan and Becky Brady…
*Kris Page buried two friends this past week; issues with the changes of Medicare difficult at work…
*Dennis Dunklee is having medical issues, not so patiently waiting for results; brother John’s lung
cancer is back…
*Rev. Ian’s daughter, Jacqi, doctor’s found a hole in her heart, though giving permission for a hip
replacement on September 25…
*Tommie Preniczky’s two friends with medical issues…
*Sandy Wilson’s friend Denise died…
*Kathy Wilson prayers for sister, niece and friend, all with medical issues…
*Dennis Meehann is needing medical attention…
*Ann Wilson’s sister, Mary is home and improving; still needs prayers…
*Nancy Clappison still having issues and Bob are at home…
*Jane Whately’s brother, Guy, grandson Aaron, granddaughter Lidia; Jane’s niece and
family, Kiera, Evelyn, Becky and Corry; niece Irene, brain and lung cancer…
*Gilling’s daughter’s, Kelly, family, mental illness…
*Susan Chappel’s friend, Annette and family…
*Judy Penney’s sister, Joann, son Dan and his wife Gen…
*People of Ukraine/Russia; in the Middle-East, the loss of life of children and civilians…
*Prayers for our congregation…

I invite you to open your family Bible for this week’s Lectionary Readings,
The Sixteenth Week of Pentecost:
SEMICONTINUOUS: Exodus 14.19-31 and Psalm 114 or Exodus 15.1-11, 20-21
COMPLEMENTARY: Genesis 50.15-21 and Psalm 103. (1-7), 8-13
Romans 14.1-12; Matthew 18.21-35

LET US PRAY:
Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty;
Quiet within us every voice but your own.
Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
That by the power of your Holy Spirit
We may receive grace to show Christ’s love
In lives given to your service. Amen

EXODUS 15.1-11, 20-21

“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea; his elite officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power—your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury; it consumed them like stubble.
At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy said, ‘I will pursue; I will overtake;
I will divide the spoil; my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

HOLY WISDOM, HOLY WORDS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Have you ever written a story, true or fiction? What about poetry or songs? I can say that I have written all the above, though not since I have arrived in Michigan. I have been fortunate enough to have been published for a couple of my poems, many years ago. Unfortunately, for me, writing takes discipline and time. I have not taken that time to write. So, I let my weekly blog and sermon do the writing for me of late.

But what does that have to do with the canticle above from Exodus? If one reads Exodus chapter 14, one gets to re-read the story of the people fleeing Egypt and crossing a body of water on dry land, only to watch the Egyptian army drown in the waters as they return. This is the narrative prose. In Psalm 114, the psalm paired with the Exodus reading, this would be one of the poetic renderings, along with Exodus 15.1-11. The three writings are all the same story set in different genres. Of course, it is probably not the same author who wrote them, but the writings show different ways to tell a story.

That is one of the disciplines of writing, finding a different way to tell the same story. In doing so, one might find a different path through the story with a different meaning. When expressing our faith, it is usually done in some form of story. Most faith stories are expressed in the first-person narrative (I, me). When telling of someone else’s story, it is usually in the third-person narrative (she, he, they). Sometimes theses stories get written down, otherwise they are just told orally, from memory. Song writers have been setting stories since the beginning of time.

For the months leading up to Kim’s death, Kim joined a writing group that met weekly, I soon tagged along. Of course, the majority of the people were not impressed with my writing. I reached out to the group after Kim died, to help me with the obituary, then stopped attending the weekly meetings. But there is a thought that came to me, would anyone be interested in getting together on a regular basis to compare, read, encourage and share their writing? As I sit here, I realize that it takes a lot of courage to share on a regular basis. Just thinking out loud at the moment...

Peace, grace and blessings to all.

LET US PRAY

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week: MARIAN SCOTT…
*Birthdays, anniversaries, and other days of joy…
*For answered prayers…
*For thanksgiving of all gifts of life…
*For all those who keep themselves healthy by staying home bound…
*All who struggle with daily issues and other physical ailments…
*For our congregation…
*The heard and the unheard…
*The known and the unknown…
*The spoken and the unspoken…
*The seen and the unseen…
We lift all these prayers to you, O Lord…

09/08/2026

RECONCILIATION: FREEDOM IN ONE ANOTHER
SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 149
MATTHEW 18.15-20
ROMANS 13.8-14

When I started my journey towards ministry over forty years ago, the theme centered around the idea of reconciliation: Reconciliation of humans with the Divine; reconciliation of individuals; reconciliation of families; reconciliation of humanity to creation; reconciliation of the brokenness of our own souls with ourselves. Following seminary graduation, I thought I would go on in Pastoral Care and Counseling, as well as Pastor to Pastor, though that never really saw the light of day. The idea of reconciling wholeness has never really left me. One of the commentaries suggested that these scriptures could be considered “the Church Reconciliation manual.” I knew that I had to resurrect the passion of reconciliation again.

In the continuation of the reading of Romans from last week, Paul starts out, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves others has fulfilled the law…Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (verses 8 and 10). So many words from other languages lose their impact by being translated to one word of English, love is one those very important words. In the Greek, there are four different words that are all translated as love, which in our culture, love is reduced to an emotion. The word love is a noun, a verb, a word of action, as well as feeling that comes from the heart and soul of an individual. Paul is writing to the very conflicted congregation in Rome. Paul is writing to the congregation to do the hard work of loving their neighbor, the stranger, their enemy. For Paul, the way to fulfill the Jewish law was through love. While striving and struggling to love those that they are in conflict with, is strenuous work of body, mind, emotions and soul. Paul is writing with an urgency throughout his letters, for he, like Jesus, expected the Second Coming the happen with the next breath.

In our culture and society, we too are very divided in our outlook of how things should be done, if the wrong word is used, an explosion of energy can result in the renting of the fabric of our relationships with one another. There are those who have lost the ability to love others on the far side of the void between us. Love and reconciliation are easy words to bandy about, particularly if there is no action or movement forward for the healing of reconciliation.

In the Gospel of Matthew, has Jesus stating to reconcile with one another while there is still time. Following the Parable of the Shepherd Seeking for One Lost Sheep, telling others to be intentional in reaching out across the divide to heal the relationship and bring about reconciliation. Whether it is a church member, a blood sister or brother, friend or even just an acquaintance, Jesus is urging ways to reconcile. First by going to the person one on one; if that does not work, maybe bring a witness; if there is no healing of the situation, then come to the body and let it be declared that the offending person is like a Gentile or a tax collector. If tradition is correct, the writer of Matthew was supposed to be a tax collector himself. The goal is still to bring these estranged relatives back into community, even as Matthew the tax collector was invited in, and the Canaanite woman received more than crumbs from Jesus.

(Side note: My editor has a problem with the reactions of a very human Jesus, stating that those who are lost are to be considered as a Tax Collector and Gentile. My editor would prefer that this be a better world, where all are welcomed with in the fold and not austerized to the outer limits. My editor would also accept that we are all Tax Collectors and Gentiles but still part and welcomed as family.)

The psalm reading for today continues to encourage us to reconcile with the Holy Divine as well as one another. We are called to rejoicing in praising God together. We are prompted to dance, to clap hands while singing spirituals, and play instruments beyond the piano and guitar. Then the psalmist takes a wide turn of emotions and encourages revenge and vengeance on our perceived enemies. During recent events, we have seen what happens with retaliation being the first response. We have witnessed the genocide in Gaza; the deaths of the innocence in the war between our government and Iran; the continued bloodshed for bloodshed bombing in Ukraine and Russia. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is stating, “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Peacemaking is NOT someone who goes along with the status quo, leaving a bloodstained building and crying for peace, calling for everyone to be nice and get along. Peacemaking is standing in the breach, not standing down, but de-escalating the continued violence. Peacemaking is standing with traumatized victims of both sides and calling a halt to the dehumanizing rage, holding both warring parties accountable when they themselves break any peace agreement, regardless of who struck first. As we are nearing the 25th Anniversary of September 11th, there is an uptick of harassment of Muslim faithful, a handful of people do not represent the whole, any more than all white people are members of White Supremacy. Peacemaking is the tiring work of reconciliation in a time of war and conflict, which is being called for in too many parts of our world.

Reconciliation is doing the hard work in the world, in our societies, and even within ourselves. Trying to bring about Shalom, another word that is watered down to the translation of “peace.” Shalom includes, reconciling differences, bringing healing and justice; Shalom is a blessing of God’s wholeness in our relationships, within our societies and within our relationship with each other, within ourselves. Reconciliation and the fulness of Shalom, bring about the freedom for all.

09/06/2026

RECONCILIATION: FREEDOM IN ONE ANOTHER
SEPTEMBER 6, 2026
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 149
MATTHEW 18.15-20
ROMANS 13.8-14
WALLY LONEY, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
PRAYER FOCUS: NAN ROBINSON

09/03/2026

FIFTEENTH WEEK OF PENTECOST; SEPTEMBER 3, 2026

Grace and greetings to all.

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week, there is no immediate reason behind the naming of the prayer week focus other that the names come next on the mailing/contact list alphabetically. As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up in prayer, and I am suggesting that we lift each other up daily, with emphasis of families and individuals changing weekly; this week’s Prayer Focus is: NAN ROBINSON.

*Do not forget to sign up for our Fellowship Dinner, tonight, Thursday, September 3rd, at the Forx,
Call Scot Hutton for reservations.

*Celebration of Life for Betty Hawthorne, Thursday, September 17th, at the Prestwick Village Golf
Course in Highland, MI.

*CROP WALK, September 27th at the Pavillion starting at 1 PM.

JOYS FROM LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE

*Prayer Focus: HUNTLEY ROBINSON…
*Kathy Wilson and Dennis Mehann, joined the church with a service of Re-Affirmation of Faith…
*Susan Dunklee is pain free…
*Jane Whately’s son, made some bad decisions at work, suspended for two weeks …
*Carolyn Longton’s youngest granddaughter’s medical test came back good…
*Donna Skoglund is doing better…
*Mark and Lynn Lariviere celebrated with their son on his birthday…
*17 turkeys cruised through Kris and Ian’s yard…

OUR PRAYERS REQUESTED FROM LAST SUNDAY
*Dan and Becky Brady…
*Kris Page buried two friends this past week; issues with the changes of Medicare difficult at work…
*Dennis Dunklee is having medical issues, not so patiently waiting for results; brother John’s lung
cancer is back; friend, Kevin’s mother died…
*Kathy Wilson prayers for sister, niece and friend, all with medical issues…
*Dennis Meehann is needing medical attention…
*Ann Wilson’s sister, Mary is home and improving; still needs prayers…
*Nancy Clappison still having issues and Bob are at home…
*Jane Whately’s brother, Guy, grandson Aaron, granddaughter Lidia; Jane’s niece and
family, Kiera, Evelyn, Becky and Corry; niece Irene, brain and lung cancer…
*Gilling’s daughter’s, Kelly, family, mental illness…
*Susan Chappel’s friend, Annette and family…
*Judy Penney’s sister, Joann, son Dan and his wife Gen…
*People of Ukraine/Russia; in the Middle-East, the loss of life of children and civilians…
*Prayers for our congregation…

I invite you to open your family Bible for this week’s Lectionary Readings,
The Fifteenth Week of Pentecost:
SEMICONTINUOUS: Exodus 12.1-14 and Psalm 149
COMPLEMENTARY: Ezekiel 33.7-11 and Psalm 119.33-40
Romans 13.8-14; Matthew 18.21-35

LET US PRAY:
Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty;
Quiet within us every voice but your own.
Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
That by the power of your Holy Spirit
We may receive grace to show Christ’s love
In lives given to your service. Amen

PSALM 149

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, God’s praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let he children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise God’s name with dancing, making melody to God with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; God adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
To execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
To bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,
To execute on them the judgment decreed.
This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord!

HOLY WISDOM, HOLY WORDS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Sitting here in the United States in 2026, this seems to me to be a strange psalm to sing in a worship service. The first half I get, praising God with singing, dancing and playing of instruments. But then it takes a massive turn in the middle of the psalm with thoughts of vengeance and two-edged swords. Let us take a closer look at this psalm before we pass too much judgement too quickly.

Viewing this psalm at the beginning, seems like many other psalms that lift up praise and voices to God. “Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, God’s praise in the assembly of the faithful.” Yes, by all means, let us sing to God who is faithful and full of steadfast love.

The psalm moves on from our voices to our bodies and talents. “Let them praise God’s name with dancing.” I love this idea, and even encourage it. In a couple of different congregations, I have served or preached for, there have been children who would dance in the aisles during the hymns; we even have our own dancer here in Ga***rd off and on when the family attends. It is said that David danced before the Ark of the Covenant and God on different occasions, dancing with all his might. It is rare to see dancers at worship services, particularly in the Presbyterian Calvinist tradition. At church camps, if I remember correctly, there is a song that is sung about the Spirit, and when the Spirit says “move,” the kids would start to dance. But it is rare to see anybody that is an adult to dance in church with the exception of an occasional hip swing every now and then, or toe tapping while sitting.

Then the talents of the people are called upon with the playing of the tambourine and lyre. There are congregations that have a Praise Band play during the service. Maybe in the 60’s or 70’s someone would shake a tambourine or similar instrument. Now I have not seen an actual lyre being played in a church service, but I have seen the modern generation of lyre played, we commonly call it a guitar. Chris Gilling blesses us with her playing and singing on a regular basis, or Wally and Janice Loney singing. “Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy…”

Then the psalm takes a turn. Unfortunately, for most of the psalms, we do not have the history of why the psalm was written, or the motivation for the psalm. For those of us in the twenty-first century, I would hope we are done with the vengeance on other nations, but the world leaders feel otherwise. Even our Mission of the Month for September is the denominational offering for Peacemaking and other programs. But, is that true when this was written? In the lectionary readings, this psalm is tied to the Exodus reading of the initiation of the Passover Feast and celebration. The people have been slaves to the Egyptians for generations, so I can understand the celebration and wanting revenge. There is a current hymn writer and composer, Greg Scheer who has taken the last of this psalm and phrased is in a different way in his hymn, “Let God’s People Sing a New Song: Psalm 149”:

Songs of worship in their throats, the sword of justice is at hand.
Kingdom of this world will tremble, bow before the king of kings.
Righteousness will rule the nations, let God’s people join to sing.

There is always that tension of taking written words from a previous generation and trying to make complete sense of it in our own time frame.

LET US PRAY

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week: NAN ROBINSON…
*Birthdays, anniversaries, and other days of joy…
*For answered prayers…
*For thanksgiving of all gifts of life…
*For all those who keep themselves healthy by staying home bound…
*All who struggle with daily issues and other physical ailments…
*For our congregation…
*The heard and the unheard…
*The known and the unknown…
*The spoken and the unspoken…
*The seen and the unseen…
We lift all these prayers to you, O Lord…

08/31/2026

I am sure you have heard of the story of Moses; born during time where males are not allowed to live; his mother puts him in a basket, floats him down the Nile river while his older sister follows behind on the sides of the river; the daughter of the Pharoh pulls him out of the bushes and raises him; raised in the court of the Pharoh; yet somehow knows of his Hebrew roots and ties; sees an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew; Moses kills the Egyptian, then flees when he thinks he will be caught for the murder, to the land of Midian. There he marries Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the priest. It does not say how long Moses is in Midian, learning family traditions and practices, until the story picks up with the Burning Bush that is not Consumed.

Moses hears a voice calling him, “Moses, Moses,” “I am here.” God warns him not to come any closer, for he is standing on sacred ground. God explains that the voices, of the people have been heard and is sending Moses back to Egypt to bring the people out. Moses asks “who should I say that sent me, what is your name?” God replies “I AM WHO I AM.”

There are still parts of the world where if the true name of a person was known, then one can be controlled by the person knowing the true name. In Hebrew, the name of God is not used or even uttered. It is out of this that Y-H-W-H pronounced Yahweh, a verbal form derived from “to be.” Actually, YHWH is a third person form and may mean “She or he causes to be.” It can also be understood in the three tenses of the verb, to be: I was, I am, I will be. Thus, the saying, “God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
There is a form of theology, Process Theology, it is like walking through a cloud, then as you get closer, more and more of God is revealed to you. Therefore, our perception of God continues to change, as we get closer and the image becomes clearer. Of course, we can never get the full picture or understanding of God. We can only experience God with human understanding, the limited words, symbols, images, to explain the unexplainable. In order for us to understand in our limited way, God defines God’s self, as I AM, there has to be a relationship in order for the verb to work, so God is always in relationship with Creation, always, I AM, yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is always present, calling out to us like Moses being called out from the burning bush. As I like to think of Process Theology, God is always changing because of our understanding of God in the present, and we change as well. It is our understanding of the God who journeys with us from the beginning of time, to this present moment, to the end of time as we know and experience it. The Alpha, the beginning of the Greek alphabet, all the way to Omega, the end of the alphabet. As we constantly move closer to God, the fog will lift a little bit more every time. The Holy Divine continues to call to us, claiming us, naming us, holding and journeying with us from the past to the present to the future.

It is during the journey, as we walk through the clouds for a clearer vision, we realize the rest of creation, and others are going through the same process of realization and understanding, though experience the Divine in their own ways. We can come alongside the Romans passage, where we can let our love be genuine, that we can hate what is evil while holding fast to what is good. We love one another, neighbor, stranger, enemy, with mutual affection, out doing one another in showing honor. We rejoice in hope, we pray for patience in suffering, persevere in prayer. We extend our love and blessing to those who disagree and persecute us. We do not need to curse them, but bless them. Continue to rejoice with those who are rejoicing, weep with those who weep. Be in the present moment with others for God is in the present moment with them and us. As we pray weekly or even daily, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with love, patience and honor to all.

This brings me back to the Moses story, “We are to remove our sandals for we are standing on sacred holy ground.” If we understand that all creation, life and being are sacred and holy, all our actions are done while standing on sacred and holy ground. As we move forward in the present, we are walking through the fog of time, then the perception of ourselves, creation, one another and even the Holy Divine will change and become clearer. The God, I AM, who is present in all forms of the tense of time and being, will continue to reveal the journey with us.

08/30/2026

STANDING ON SACRED GROUND
AUGUST 30, 2026
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PSALM 105.1-6, 23-26, 45b
ROMANS 12.9-21
EXODUS 3.1-15
MADELINE MILIDONIS FRITZ, LITURGIST
SUSAN DUNKLEE, PIANIST
NEW MEMBERS: KATHY WILSON AND DENNIS MEHANN
PRAYER FOCUS: HUNTLEY ROBINSON

08/28/2026

FOURTEENTH WEEK OF PENTECOST; AUGUST 28, 2026

Grace and greetings to all.

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week, there is no immediate reason behind the naming of the prayer week focus other that the names come next on the mailing/contact list alphabetically. As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up in prayer, and I am suggesting that we lift each other up daily, with emphasis of families and individuals changing weekly; this week’s Prayer Focus is: HUNTLEY ROBINSON.

*Do not forget to sign up for our Fellowship Dinner, Thursday, September 3rd, at the Forx,
Call Scot Hutton for reservations.

*Celebration of Life for Betty Hawthorne, Thursday, September 17th, at the Prestwick Village Golf
Course in Highland MI.

JOYS FROM LAST SUNDAY’S SERVICE

*Prayer Focus: TOMMIE PRENICZKY…
*Jane Whatley’s son’s birthday…
*Susan Dunklee’s is back to normal according to Dennis…
*Anniversaries: Meteyers …
*Kathy Wilson and Dennis Mehann, 5th great-grandchild…
*Lucy Meteyer is now at U of M…

OUR PRAYERS REQUESTED FROM LAST SUNDAY
*Jane Whatley’s son made some bad decisions at work…
*Kris Page’s co-worker Shelly for husband David’s, Celebration of Life, Saturday, August 29th…
*Dennis Dunklee is having medical issues…
*Kathy Wilson prayers for sister, niece and friend, all with medical issues…
*Friends of Sandy and Barry Wilson, Denise has lung cancer…
*Ann Wilson’s sister, Mary is home and improving; still needs prayers…
*Nancy Clappison still having issues and Bob are at home…
*Jane Whately’s brother, Guy, grandson Aaron, granddaughter Lidia; Jane’s niece and
family, Kiera, Evelyn, Becky and Corry; niece Irene, brain and lung cancer…
*Gilling’s daughter’s, Kelly, family, mental illness…
*Susan Chappel’s friend, Annette and family…
*Judy Penney’s sister, Joann, son Dan and his wife Gen…
*People of Ukraine/Russia; in the Middle-East, the loss of life of children and civilians…
*Prayers for our congregation…

I invite you to open your family Bible for this week’s Lectionary Readings,
The Fourteenth Week of Pentecost:
SEMICONTINUOUS: Exodus 3.1-15 and Psalm 105.1-6, 23-26, 45b
COMPLEMENTARY: Jeremiah 15.15-21and Psalm 26.1-8
Romans 12.9-21; Matthew 16.21-28

LET US PRAY:
Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty;
Quiet within us every voice but your own.
Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ
That by the power of your Holy Spirit
We may receive grace to show Christ’s love
In lives given to your service. Amen

PSALM 26.1-8

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.

I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord,
Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.

O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.

HOLY WISDOM, HOLY WORDS
FOR THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Life seems to be filled with frustration for all of us at one point or another. Yesterday, following my yoga routine, I became dizzy and feeling well, almost like a migraine without the major headache. I took a nap, felt a little better. Kris even commented when I put a sweatshirt on and it was 70 degrees in the house. This morning woke up with a sore throat, still fog brained, but here I am. A woman left a message on my voice mail last week looking for financial help with her sister. I called a few numbers that I thought would be able to help. In the long run, not much is available to help the woman at the moment. Then I found out she was calling me from another county, which means most of the numbers I gave her would not do any good for her. She stated that she was frustrated that she could not get help. In other examples, a couple of other people were frustrated at the slowness of the way things work in non-profit and in the denominational church. Unfortunately, I could only agree with their frustrations and admit that I did not have any further answers for any of them.

Though we do not know fully the situation of the psalmist that wrote this psalm, one can hear the frustration in the words asking for God’s help. We try to walk with integrity and trusting in the Lord; but things still go wrong and we do not see an answer anytime soon. There are many other psalms that cry out to God with similar messages; there is the book of Job claiming his innocence; Jesus felt the frustration of being separated from God while on the cross. There have even been books written on why bad things happen to good people. We have all experienced the frustration during our lifetime and will continue to experience these situations.

So, the next question is, what do we do now? We have all sat down at one point or another and had a pity party for ourselves, realizing that it does not really help the situation. One answer to our many issues is learning to trust in God again, starting with walking with God, one step at a time. I know it is easy for me to type that statement, and easy for most of us to read the statement too. When going through rough times in our lives, all the energy is sucked out of our bodies that the single step is too much. And yet, we learn to carry on.

Keep the communication line open with God, keep in prayer, even when it may seem that we are only talking with ourselves. God is there, I promise. We may not always get the answers we are looking for immediately, but over time, maybe a lifetime, the answers do come. A wise person has said to me, time and again: “Will this situation matter in five years from now?” Most of the time, probably not.

Keep walking with the Lord, with all the integrity you can muster at the moment. Keep praying and talking with God, treating others as you would have them treat you. Then one day, you may not notice it, but you will be singing like the psalmist: “Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.” (verses 7-8)
God is there, always…

LET US PRAY

*For the Prayer Focus of the Week: HUNTLEY ROBINSON…
*Birthdays, anniversaries, and other days of joy…
*For answered prayers…
*For thanksgiving of all gifts of life…
*For all those who keep themselves healthy by staying home bound…
*All who struggle with daily issues and other physical ailments…
*For our congregation…
*The heard and the unheard…
*The known and the unknown…
*The spoken and the unspoken…
*The seen and the unseen…
We lift all these prayers to you, O Lord…

The First Presbyterian Church of Gaylord

09/13/2026

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