08/23/2026
MORETOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor Sam Newton
Worship 2nd and 4th Sundays 9:00 AM
August 23, 2026 Fourteenth Sunday of Pentecost
Psalm 25:10
“All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful toward those who keep the demands of his
Covenant.”
RINGING OF THE BELLS/LIGHTING OF THE ALTER CANDLES
PRELUDE “We Meet You, O Christ” UMH #257
ORDER OF WORSHIP
WELCOME/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Greetings Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
Prayers are with you! Looking back, this has certainly been a summer of change, upheaval, working through hard times, a need for healing, and seeking God’s guidance and new direction. For me and my family this has surely been the case, as it has for many of you.
Someone told me recently that it’s essential to trust in God and in His plan and love for us. This is not something we can do alone! Our faith as a Christian believer is based on our personal relationship with Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins, come into our hearts, and save us from death and hell, a transformation takes place. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts with joy to know Christ is alive and we will spend eternity with Him forever. This forever relationship includes our life on earth today. The Holy Spirit is always there to help us trust in God and His plan for our life and our churches. He also helps us to trust Jesus with our lives and because of His great love for us, we can always find the help we need.
Don’t forget that next Sunday August 30th will be our 5th Sunday Gateway Cooperative Parish combined worship service. This time we will meet at 10am at the Middlesex UMC for an outdoor service and potluck picnic. There will be tents as well as tables and chairs set up but you are welcome to bring your favorite comfortable lawn chair. Bring anything you’d like to share for the picnic. Grills and ice cream will be provided. This will be a rain or shine event, so please dress appropriately. Please come and join us for great worship, awesome fun, renown Methodist cuisine, and joyful fellowship for much needed encouragement, especially for our friends at the Middlesex Church.
In Jesus’ great love ❤️, Pastor Sam🙏
August 30 at 10:00 am Gateway Cooperative Service at Middlesex UMC Outdoor worship and pot luck picnic. There will be awesome worship, grills, tables, chairs, tent, and ice cream. Rain or shine. Please join us!
September 12 at 12 noon 2026 SPRC Meetings with DS Bob Jon will be held via Zoom. The meeting lasts 60 minutes. The pastor and SPRC team will join the meeting at the start time. After about 15 minutes, pastors will be asked to leave the meeting, so the SPRC team has time for private discussion with the DS.
Zoom link
Meeting ID: 246 988 8864
Passcode: 250141
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,2469888864 #,,,,*250141 # US (Washington DC)
The Pastor Compensation Report is due one week before the meeting and is located on the Church Dashboard under 2026 Church Conference Forms. Please complete this form in a timely manner. If you need assistance, contact Brenda at [email protected]
September 13 at 9AM in church worship
September 27 at 9AM in church worship
CALL TO WORSHIP “Alleluia” UMH #186
Psalm 25:1-10, response 2, UMH #756
Psalm Of David.
1 In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.
8 Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
*HYMN “Trust and Obey” UMH #467
*GOSPEL READING: Luke 2:36-40
Luke 2:36-40 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 3:1-12 Moses and the Burning Bush 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,themountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
This is the word of God for the people of
God. Thanks Be to God.
Scripture: Genesis 18:1-15 The Three Visitors 18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to ground.3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. 9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. 10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.11 Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
SERMON “God’s Retirement Plan” Pastor Sam Newton
What is or what will be your retirement plan? Investment firms are asking this same question as they seek your savings or money set aside to make you (and them) extra money from new ventures. Beyond having enough money, the next questions might be: Where do you want to live and what type of retirement home are you looking for? Some of you have chosen two homes, down South and here in Vermont. An RV will keep you on the move, especially if you want to travel. Many of you want to stay in your present home with its familiar surroundings and cherished memories. Many who retire miss the workplace but try to fill in the time with hobbies, volunteer work or that long put off project at home. You might find ways to supplement your income with products you make or do what you did before, only part time. I remember some of the layoffs at IBM some time ago in which people took lucrative early retirement packages only to be hired back per diem. I recall asking someone who worked at IBM why this was the case with recent retirees. They said three reasons: 1) They were already trained and cheaper. 2) There’s no obligation to give any benefits. 3) They were given part-time hours that fit their schedules and the needs of the company. We also see retirees all over the workplace at stores, supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants. There’s a clerk who works at the drive through at Burger King. He looks much older than me, but is very pleasant and makes sure I get my 10% senior citizen discount, whether I ask for it or not.
So, what is God’s retirement plan? The answer is that no plan exists! In fact, the word retirement or anything that is like it, is not found anywhere in the Bible. However, many people in the Bible served God faithfully in their “older” years by realizing that their only purpose is to fulfill their destiny by serving a loving God and fulfilling His calling in their lives.
For Moses, this came as a total surprise, as he left Egypt as a fugitive forty years before. The first forty years of Moses’ life was spent as a prince of Egypt. His miraculous rescue from the Nile led to him being raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. He received the best education at the time, grew up as a rich kid, and had power at his fingertips. However, Moses had felt there was something missing, and as he approached middle age, he embraced being a Jew. However he murdered an Egyptian slavedriver and had to flee as Pharaoh sought to kill him.
The second forty years was spent meeting his father-in-law Jethro, getting married, raising a family and tending Jethro’s flock of sheep in the land of Midian. This was a long distance from Egypt and a comfortable and safe exile, but God had other plans, as Moses was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt at the age of 80! The burning bush and God speaking to Moses resulted in God sending Moses to set the Israelites free from slavery to the promised land. There were many obstacles and miracles ahead, such as: Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to let the Hebrews go, ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the ten commandments on Mt. Sinai, Israel worshipping the golden calf led by Moses’ brother Aaron, God providing manna and quail in the desert, listening to the Israelites grumbling, and finally God bringing Moses to the threshold of the promised land. Moses wasn’tperfect, but he was faithful to God’s calling, and at 120, God called him home.
Stepping out in faith isn’t always easy and Moses’ example is a challenge for all of us. When I retired in 2010 at age 54 after 30 years as a full-time pastor, many wondered what I would do and how I would survive financially. God had already provided a home in Barre we bought after my parent’s estate was settled. The big problem at first was that I needed to supplement my income in addition to my pension. As I brought this need to the Lord in prayer, He called me to serve churches part time. However, none seemed available that were within commuting distance or even close to what I needed for income. Where was God calling me? Had I come this far to just work at McDonald’s? Maybe God was humbling me to do just that, like Moses tending sheep. As I put this in the Lord’s hands, an unlikely path opened before me. I heard about the United Church of South Royalton needing an interim pastor, as their present one was leaving after 23 years. I was asked if I was interested in an interview and so I went with God’s leading me to test the waters. I didn’t know anything about being an interim pastor, commuting, working part-time as a recent retiree, interacting with the UCC to help find my replacement and how to follow a very popular pastor. However, several were willing to help, the financial package as a half time pastor fit perfectly, and it was within commuting distance from Barre. I was called back for a second interview and offered a one-year contract. This was a huge Godwink as it was already mid-summer and I had no other churches on the horizon. In the midst of my desperation, God provided what was needed. I signed two more one-year contracts and the church finally called a new pastor who is still there. Then God opened the door to Wesley church in Waterbury which had been severely damaged by Irene. Trusting God to be faithful to His calling and making it clear, has been a gift for me but I have to remember it’s on God’s timetable and not mine. God’s calling will be fulfilled, and I believe that to be true in His calling to pastor Waterbury Center and Moretown. Like when Moses had to face overwhelming obstacles in Egypt to set the people free, may the Lord give us the faith of Moses through the power of the Holy Spirit to find joy in sharing ministry together.
For Abraham and Sarah God was fulfilling a calling to them personally with the birth of Isaac. Abraham had been told that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Now as Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, it was a test to see if the gift or the giver would be worthy of worship. Abraham chose God, and that sustained he and Sarah in working through the problems with Ismael, Abraham lying to the Egyptians about Sarah not being his wife, and Sarah actually laughing at the angels promise to her for a child at such an old age. Abraham and Sarah’s heart and desire for God’s calling to be at the center of their souls, opened doors to faith that no one thought possible.
If you’re looking to God for answers about His calling, consider how Anna waited on the Lord. She worshipped day and night in the temple seeking the Lord about the coming of the Messiah. For well over fifty years she prayed, fasted, and sought the Lord for the redemption of Jerusalem, the temple, and all of Israel. We know that Christ will return someday, but in the meantime, may Jesus grant us the incredible desire Anna had to be in Christ’s presence. Don’t believe that you have nothing to offer Jesus because of your age. God doesn’t look at anything but your heart. Open the door to your heart to a calling you never imagined at any age.
Amen.
OFFERING
The offering basket is located at the back of the sanctuary.
OFFERTORY PRAYER “The Lord’s Prayer” UMH #271
SHARING JOYS AND CONCERNS
*HYMN “Lord of the Dance” UMH #261
BENEDICTION
*POSTLUDE “Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing” UMH #671
* Indicates stand if comfortable and able.
OUR WORSHIP IS ENDED. LET OUR SERVICE BEGIN. GO FORTH IN THE LIGHT OF THE RISEN LORD.
We welcome every person worshipping here today. We invite you to be joyful and reflective in God’s presence. If you are a visitor, we thank you for coming and hope you will come again. Please leave prayer requests in basket located at back of sanctuary.
Moretown United Methodist Church
962 VT Route 100B
Mailing Address:
PO Box 516
Moretown VT 05660
Pastor Sam Newton e-mail:
[email protected]
cell phone/text: 802-793-8618
