Church guide

Our awesome Thursday morning Bible Study. Every Thursday at the Parish House starting about 9:30.

'Our' Miriam at her Pennell Alumni Gathering this past Saturday

https://youtu.be/gPufxHyHADk

'Cookie Decorating' at the Blueberry Festival by Jenn Dupuis

Carol West on the Piano during the Offering

"Lord Teach Us to Pray" by Pastor Richard

Children's Sermon - Peter Cottontail & Mr. MacGregors' Garden & Pastor Richard.

"In Heaven's Eyes" by Carol West

Prelude by Carol West

Today's Sermon by Pastor Richard Sermon: Teach Us to Pray 1st Congregational Church 7th Sunday after Pentecost July 28, 2019 By Pastor Richard Today is July 28, 2019. It is summer. It has been summer and has felt like summer for over a month now - especially last weekend; congratulations and thank you for coming to surviving our worship in the catacombs last week (when it was so hot we worshipped in the church basement. No it was not cool, but it was 90 degrees in the sanctuary.) Already this summer there has been a blackout in New York City. It was not extensive and did not last very long, but it was significant and New Yorkers are lucky it did not happen last weekend. I remember the last major blackout in the summer of 1977, which was extensive and lasted almost an entire day. I remember it quite well because I was there that summer after the bicentennial. I was living at Union Theological Seminary, working at a summer job. A bunch of us made dinner in a rather large kitchen and dining area. We were sitting there enjoying dessert and it was as if someone had turned down the rheostat. The lights did not just go out; they dimmed for about five seconds, then went out. Then burst on again and then went out. There was no noise. There was no commotion. Just, suddenly, that entire enormous city was dark. We had been dining by candlelight – it was about 9:30 – and we were all home, so we were fine. It has been an eventful week for us here in Gray because we celebrated the life of one of our own. Judy Hascall was born in the Midwestern heartland, in the state of Illinois. Thanks to joining the Navy, she met her husband Brian at Portsmouth Naval Hospital and moved here to the heartland of Maine. She brought her heart to us and we are grateful. She loved critters, especially cats, dogs and birds. Fittingly a Cardinal in the top of a great pine tree sang quite clearly and forthrightly throughout Judy’s service; then was joined at the end by a white-throated sparrow. In today’s reading – text below - Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who sins against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial." These are not exactly the words familiar to us for the Lord’s Prayer, but close enough. It is a beloved prayer and rightly so, even though it contains a very difficult teaching, namely that we affirm, every time that we utter this prayer, that God’s forgiveness of our sins depends directly upon forgiving those who have sinned against us. This is not easy. How often do we actually do this? How often do ordinary folks like us practice forgiveness? How often do powerful people practice forgiveness? Has anyone heard an important politician recommending that we just forgive those who have sinned against us? I’m not sure you could win an election on that platform. In one of my first sermons here, I shared the words of John Sloan Dickey, who served as President of Dartmouth College from 1945 to 1970. “What of this world?” he asked. “Its errors and evils are not new. A student of history finds their counterpart in every recorded society. What is new is not the evil in man, but the range of its opportunity and the immensity of its consequences. Within the last 50 years alone the destructive potentialities of human error and evil have been increased beyond calculation. I shall cite here only three of the principal factors in that development: First, the opening of the widest chasm of ideological conflict the world has ever known. Second, the fantastic increase in the destructive power possessed by men as contrasted with the relatively static state of the moral and political controls governing such power. Thirdly, the rise of the mass media of communication, making the emotions and minds of millions the constant prey of the few.” Has this situation gotten any better? Has the tone of our politics improved any? Has anyone even suggested the possibility of forgiving our political enemies? Or even floated as a trial balloon the idea that everyone should just tone it down a bit? Is there any hope then? Well, we have another birthday to celebrate this week. Alexis de Tocqueville was born in Paris July 29, 1805. He's remembered for the book Democracy in America (1835), which is still considered one of the best books ever written about America. What impressed Tocqueville was that our democracy worked. He wrote, "America demonstrates invincibly one thing that I had doubted up to now: that the middle classes can govern a State. ... Despite their small passions, their incomplete education, their vulgar habits [remember he was an aristocrat], they can obviously provide a practical sort of intelligence and that turns out to be enough.” This is our prayer: that we practice the practical intelligence to sort out the exaggerated claims of our advertising industry and the stridency of our politicians and slowly fix our broken politics. We have done it before. A practical sort of intelligence is also what use in our personal lives to practice the forgiveness for which we pray every day. The Lord’s prayer, asking for forgiveness only as we practice it – is the church’s spiritual program. It is a practical program as well, for it is not a prescription to be taken advantage of, but it is a prescription to take a fearless moral inventory of ourselves before we judge others, for the judgment we give is the judgment we will get. Look for some sermons on the things that make for peace in the month ahead. Meanwhile, I will give the last word to Beatrix Potter, who said, "Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest." - Psalm 85 Benedixisti, Domine 1 You have been gracious to your land, O LORD, * you have restored the good fortune of Jacob. 2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people * and blotted out all their sins. 3 You have withdrawn all your fury * and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation. 4 Restore us then, O God our Savior; * let your anger depart from us. 5 Will you be displeased with us for ever? * will you prolong your anger from age to age? 6 Will you not give us life again, * that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your mercy, O LORD, * and grant us your salvation. 8 I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, * for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him. 9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, * that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth have met together; * righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, * and righteousness shall look down from heaven. 12 The LORD will indeed grant prosperity, * and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness shall go before him, * and peace shall be a pathway for his feet. Luke 11:1-13 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Children’s Sermon July 28, 2019 Peter Rabbit & Mr. MacGregor’s Garden By – Pastor Richard What famous literary character was given chamomile tea by his mother after an almost disastrous adventure? Another hint: He was almost killed by an angry Scottish farmer . . . after trespassing into his vegetable garden . . . nearly cloven in two by a hoe . . . by Farmer MacGregor . . . . He had three sisters: Flopsey, Mopsey and Cottontail. Peter Rabbit! Exactly 159 years ago, July 28, 1866 was the birthday of Beatrix Potter, who wrote Peter Rabbit. She began writing stories for children she knew, then spent ten years sending them to publishers before somebody decided to give her stories and illustrations a chance and the rest is history.

I stopped at the church garden right after Judy’s service and saw this butterfly. I have a feeling she was with me. Laurie Keller

(Pictured: Gray 1st Congregational Church member, Melissa Buhelt and her children, help a local farmer with feeding her show cows in preparation for the Cumberland Fair) What do Kids, Cows, the Gray First Congregational Church and the Barnyard Restaurant all have in common? It's the Cumberland Fair which runs Sun, Sept 22nd through Sat, Sept 28th! What could be better than a scrumptious home cooked meal at an old-fashion counter or in the dining room of the Barnyard Restaurant after a fun morning or afternoon at the Fair? Fresh, hot breakfast is served every morning from 7-10am to help start the day off right. Or swing by during the day for a quick lunch and check out our daily specials and delicious homemade pies and desserts at dinner time. The Barnyard Restaurant is the largest fundraiser for the First Congregational Church allowing us to continue local assistance programs for needy families and to send needed help around the World. Worried about spending a lot? We have a great kids’ menu and will be offering coupons this year. Swing on by our Public Supper on Sat, July 27th, or our table at the Gray Blueberry Festival on Sat, Aug 10th or our annual Chicken BBQ on Sat, Aug 24th to pick up yours. Now, Mark Your Calendars for the Fair and make a note to swing by the Barnyard Restaurant located right next to the Museum by Gate #6! Author: Sandy Carder Organization: First Congregational Church of Gray

Post by Dolly Nelson

The Shaker Road (Rt 26) Bridge, currently under construction, is scheduled to close for up to 14 days starting on August 6th. During the bridge closure, traffic will be routed around the site via Route 202 and 26A.

Jenn Dupuis is heading up a Booth for Cookie Decorating at the Blueberry Festival for the Gray Congregational Church August 10 - 9:30 - 4:00

Announcements; Happy Birthday, Olive; Googins Invite; Proper Microphone Use

https://youtu.be/V8FGTeDPcvg

'Cookie Decorating' at the Blueberry Festival by Jenn Dupuis

Carol West on the Piano during the Offering

"Lord Teach Us to Pray" by Pastor Richard

Children's Sermon - Peter Cottontail & Mr. MacGregors' Garden & Pastor Richard.

"In Heaven's Eyes" by Carol West

Prelude by Carol West

Announcements; Happy Birthday, Olive; Googins Invite; Proper Microphone Use

"The Fullness of God Was Pleased" By, Pastor Richard

"Show Me The Way" by Dotty and her grandaughter, Callie

Church Humor by Sue