10/04/2026
MORETOWN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH WORSHIP
962 Route 100B
PO Box 516 Moretown, Vt 05660
October 04, 2026
19th Sunday after Pentecost
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Worship Second & Fourth Sundays of the Month 9AM
These words copied from The United Methodist Church Discipleship webpage, Ministry Matters webpage, the Methodist Book of Worship, The United Methodist Hymnal and The Common Book of Prayer and Pastor Sam Newton with video/music selections found on YouTube. This will also be posted on the church page.
Dear Members & Friends of the Gateway Cooperative Parrish,
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
I pray you are especially blessed by the beautiful colors of the foliage season. As the colors of the leaves 🍁 change, so we must deal with changes in our lives. Let us be assured as brothers & sisters in Christ, that as we face these things we are under the watchful eye of God and filled with the loving presence of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us together as the Body of Christ.
It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you that the Middlesex United Methodist Church is closing after many years of faithful service in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be clear, this is a New England UMC Conference action based on several factors. Our District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Bob Jon, is willing to come and share why the Conference closed the church and to hear concerns and answer any questions you may have about it. We will let you know when this meeting can be held although due to the DS’s Charge Conference schedule on the weekends, it will have to be held during the week.
Our fervent prayers & love go with Lay Leader Neil Johnson and the rest of the active members of the Middlesex Church. In light of the Conference action, they have decided to form a new house church aligned with the Global Methodist Church. They will continue to be part of our cooperative parrish but under a different status, reflecting the changes that have occurred.
I deeply grieve the Middlesex UMC closure and certainly wish things could have been handled differently. On a personal level, it has a great effect as my grandmother Mabel Wheaton pastored Moretown & Middlesex from 1951-59. Yet I believe that God is calling us to pick up the pieces and move forward with the loving and powerful Holy Spirit’s miraculous guidance, comfort, strength and peace. We are also in this together as the family of God. May Jesus help us to find our way in this new time and season for Middlesex and all of us as part of the Gateway Cooperative Parrish.
❤️In Jesus’ great love, Pastor Sam🙏
PRELUDE Peter Krag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTD2vDsB3Xw
CALL TO WORSHIP
We live in a world that entices us with influence, power, and accolades.
We choose to press on toward the prize of the heavenly call.
Sometimes we find ourselves wishing for heaven without working to bring heaven to earth.
We choose to press on toward the prize of the heavenly call to live righteously here and now.
Other times, we find ourselves exhausted by working for the gospel, wondering if anything we do is making a difference.
We remind one another to press on toward the prize of the heavenly call, leaning on Christ as the source of our perseverance and hope.
Beloved, God calls us not to escape this world but to build the kingdom of God in this place and in this time.
We choose to press on toward the prize of the heavenly call to embody God’s mercy and justice as we build God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, July 2026.
OPENING PRAYER
Mighty God, cover me and my loved ones throughout this month. Protect our homes, our journeys, our health, our work, and everything You have entrusted to us. Keep us from dangers seen and unseen and preserve us from plans that are not aligned with Your purpose.
Guide every decision I make. Give me discernment to recognize what is right, wisdom to know when to move forward, and courage to walk away from anything that would pull me away from You. Let Your Word be the lamp that directs my feet and the light that keeps me on the right path.
When confusion arises, give me clarity. When fear tries to take hold, remind me that You are with me. When circumstances change unexpectedly, help me remain peaceful, knowing that nothing takes You by surprise.
HYMN “ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF12LkUS25c&list=RDVF12LkUS25c&start_radio=1
PRAYER for ILLUMINATION
Bless us, O God, with ears to hear your truth, vision to discern your path, and feet ready to move into action, responding to your call. Inspire us as we hear your Word read and proclaimed. Amen.
SCRIPTURE
OLD TESTAMENT Job 42
1Then Job replied to the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
GOSPEL John 21: 15-19
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things;you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
NEW TESTAMENT 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
SERMON Pastor Sam Newton “The Man with the Plan”
During the ‘80’s, “Man with a Plan” was actually a movie made in Vermont starring retired farmer Fred Tuttle from Tunbridge. Fred had never been an actor, say nothing of being in a movie. Yet a political comedy seemed refreshing, as it would be today. The plot was simple: a plain-spoken Vermont hick comes out of nowhere to capture Vermont’s only seat in Congress. It has many similarities to Jimmy Stewart’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” except its focus is on Vermont, and Fred’s unlikely election. Fred’s campaign slogan was “Be yourself and do the right thing.’ If anything, Tuttle was good at playing himself and promoting common sense to make decisions, something he said that normal politicians would never do. The town of Tunbridge was portrayed as helping Fred get elected. The only thing I knew about Tunbridge growing up was that it was home to the Tunbridge “World’s” Fair. My father was an avid fair goer, but Tunbridge was off limits. My mother heard that to get into the fair, all men had a bottle of wh***ey in one hand and another man’s wife on the other. How could any plan for society come from a place like that? For Tuttle, that was part of the joke of his political portrayals. It led to two more movies and a joke candidacy to run against longtime Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy. “Don’t just spread manure, spread Fred!” was the theme. Soon “Spread Fred” appeared on many bumper stickers and, much to the shock of everyone (including Fred), he won the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. In his final debate with Leahy during the closing statements, Tuttle threw all his support to his opponent. The debate was one of the most entertaining political spectacles I’ve ever seen. This was Fred’s plan all along, and I’ll bet that most Vermonters were watching that debate on TV.
As Fred’s fantasies became reality and his dreams came true, God has a far greater plan for all of us. Much of the time our vision is clouded as we can’t find God, don’t know what He is doing, or what His plan for us is. God has a way of choosing unlikely characters to follow His plan. Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Ruth, Esther, David, and Gideon, plus many others who stepped forward, including Paul and the disciples in the New Testament. One of the most unlikely of them all was Job, who was known for persevering through suffering and getting bad advice from his friends. God tested Job with losing his possessions, children and family with even his wife telling him in Job 2:9 to “curse God and die.” He was covered with painful sores which made him a pariah in the community. Job’s friends did come and sit with him without speaking for seven days until Job himself spoke. Job’s vision of God’s plan was survival in the midst of great testing and suffering which blocked any further revelations that Job could see. To be stuck in this place is difficult. When I think of all the things I went through over the past five months with my health, major family issues that keep emerging, taking on two additional churches with the changes that are involved for all of us, and now the closure of the Middlesex UMC with the circumstances around it, I can identify with Job on some level as I’m sure you can as well. In the light of suffering, what is the answer in our walk with Jesus and each other as the Body of Christ in our churches? There is some hope in Job 42:2 as Job proclaims: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” There is still nothing that God can’t do and no one can stop His purpose working through us. To be open to the Holy Spirit echoes in Job 42:5: “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Lifting up our eyes to see Jesus is the key. My grandparents were both pastors and my grandmother pastored Moretown and Middlesex during most of the 1950’s. They are buried in the Montgomery Village cemetery which is on a knoll overlooking Jay Peak. On the top of their tombstone are the words from Psalm 121:1: “I lift up mine eyes”. Jesus loves us and as we look into His eyes, suddenly the worries and cares over all that’s happened begin to melt away. Paul said it well in Romans 8:39: “For nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Suffering does take it’s toll, and we must put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6) to withstand the fiery darts of Satan. II Cor 4:29 describes our conditions that the power of God can overcome through us.
-Hard pressed on every side but not crushed.
-Perplexed, but not in despair.
-Persecuted but not abandoned.
-Struck down but not destroyed.
We are like jars of clay that the Holy Spirit resides in so that the life of Christ in us may touch others.
Peter was alienated from Jesus after he denied knowing Him three times. Peter had seen Jesus in the upper room but hadn’t had that personal encounter to reconcile with Him. Peter was anxious to see Jesus as he jumped into the water after seeing Him by the shore. After reconciling with love, Jesus then gave Peter his three-point plan:
Feed My Lambs – Take care of new and vulnerable believers. Feed them the milk of God’s word as they grow in faith.
Take Care of My Sheep – Many caring and outreach ministries are included using practical ways of reaching out.
Feed My Sheep – Christians should not be starving for fellowship, teaching, and worship in serving the Lord.
Jesus’ final plan for Peter is to “Follow Me!” When Peter was first called, the same message was given. We also discover, as Peter did, that the Holy Spirit surrounds us and lives in our hearts. In this way we not only follow Jesus, but He walks beside us, behind us, and encircles us with love.
May you find the plan a loving God has for your life, a plan of love and life that can never be thwarted Amen.
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
Holy God, bless our lives, sanctify us,
and in your way, grant us our hearts’ desire.
Anoint us with your grace, that what we desire is also what you desire.
Help us to understand that our hearts’ true desire is the love of you.
May the love of Christ urge us on; may we walk by faith.
Thank you, God, for all our blessings.
Holy God, bless those who govern –
Bless the leaders of nations, countries, towns, and cities.
And those who lead in all manner – social, political, and religious –
Bless us all. Fill the hearts of all with your wisdom.
Guide us in the way of justice and integrity for all.
Guide us to walk by faith.
Holy God, tend to those who suffer in mind, body, and spirit.
Tend to the tired, the dying, the poor and the hungry.
Help us to follow the love of Christ, a love which urges us on.
Help us to seek and serve Christ in others, bringing forth a new creation.
Holy God, we ask all this in the name of Christ, our redeemer.
Holy God, we ask all this by the Holy Spirit who activates your love in us.
Holy God, we ask all this that your love may be like seed scattered—
manifesting in small and unexpected ways—the greatness of You.
May your love take root in our lives, that we may walk by faith. Amen.
Written by Rev. Terri C. Pilarski, on the Words Matter.Episcopal site, http://expansivelanguage.blogspot.ca/. Reposted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/search?q=Terri+C.+Pilarski.
HYMN “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGpM9m3hNSo&list=RDnGpM9m3hNSo&start_radio=1
THE OFFERING
Please share your gifts:
Moretown United Methodist Church
PO Box 516
Moretown, VT 05660
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Faithful Shepherd, you call us beyond our resumes and our trophies, beyond what we have been toward who we are becoming in Christ. As we lay these gifts before you, free us from clinging to what we think gives us worth. Turn our eyes toward the future you are unfolding. Let our giving press us deeper into mercy, widen the circle of belonging, and shape us into people who embody your justice and grace. Keep us moving; keep us growing; keep us following. We press on toward your kingdom, trusting you to lead. Amen.
RECITE THE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN “Be Thou My Vision”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKvE1FcACIM&list=PL5X1YdDFY4WvwmN5kQqareMMEH9AIS00R&index=1
BENEDICTION
Disciples of Christ, may God bless you with perseverance, that together we may persist in following the way of Christ toward the heavenly call by embodying God’s mercy and justice here now. Amen.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, July 2026.
POSTLUDE Peter Krag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6xSDoL2SI&list=RDvX6xSDoL2SI&start_radio=1
