Everything Is Waiting for You
by David Whyte
Your great mistake is to act the drama
as if you were alone. As if life
were a progressive and cunning crime
with no witness to the tiny hidden
transgressions. To feel abandoned is to deny
the intimacy of your surroundings. Surely,
even you, at times, have felt the grand array;
the swelling presence, and the chorus, crowding
out your solo voice. You must note
the way the soap dish enables you,
or the window latch grants you freedom.
Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.
The stairs are your mentor of things
to come, the doors have always been there
to frighten you and to invite you,
and the tiny speaker in the phone
is your dream-ladder to divinity.
Put down the weight of your aloneness and ease into
the conversation. The kettle is singing
even as it pours you a drink, the cooking pots
have left their arrogant aloofness and
seen the good in you at last. All the birds
and creatures of the world are unutterably
themselves. Everything is waiting for you.
Westminster
presbyterian church
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We Come Into God’s Presence
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Prelude A Tender Spiritual Stanley Vann
Welcome and Opening Prayer
Call to Worship (see page 1) Everything Is Waiting for You David Whyte
hymn #182 (see page 5) I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say kingsfold
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We Hear God’s Word
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reading from the Psalms Psalm 147 Gail Arnold, liturgist
Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat. He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
anthem Travel Light Heather Sorenson
Leave all your card, and leave all your woes. Lay down your burden, lay down your load.
Follow your path until it is done. Turn from your worry, turn to the Son. Then you will find that you can travel light. Casting all your care upon the Lord of Light, ’fessing up your wrong so you can sleep at night,
offering up some help to the people on your way. That’s how you travel light.
Watch for the curves, but cruise when you can. Reach for the stars, but don’t overplay. Share what you know, and learn from the best. Do what you can. Let God do the rest. Then you will find that you can travel light.
Gospel Reading Mark 1:29–39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they
knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
SERMON We Flourish Rev. Dr. Melissa Lynn DeRosia
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We Respond to God’s Word
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Communion hymn #727 (see page 6) Will You Let Me Be Your Servant the servant songThe lord’s prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Hymn #69 (see page 7) I, the Lord of Sea and Sky here i am
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We Go Forth to Serve
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BENEDICTION . . . and let all God’s people say, “Alleluia! Amen!”•
_______________________________This Week’s News
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We celebrate Communion today. You are invited and encouraged to set a table in your home with bread and juice or wine. Today’s worship podcast includes a Communion prayer, and you are invited to partake of the elements as instructed during the prayer.
Our Lenten theme this year, Holy Vessels, explores healing – of body, mind, and spirit – in the metaphor of a glass vessel fractured into pieces. To invite you into this theme we will distribute bags containing various Lenten worship materials, on Monday, February 15, 10 am–noon at church. Rev. DeRosia will greet you and bring your worship bag to your car. If you cannot come during this time, we will leave the bags (organized alphabetically, by Deacon Care Group) in bins outside the main (Scio Church Road) entrance for you to pick up anytime through Wednesday. If you are unable to come to the church during any of these times, please contact your deacon who will deliver your Lenten worship materials to your home. We want to be sure everyone has a worship materials bag before Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday Worship: Wednesday, February 17, at 7 pm, Westminster joins other local churches for an ecumenical Ash Wednesday service online. Watch your email that day for the link to the service.
Matthew 25 Initiative is our next Wednesday Lecture Series topic. On February 24, at 7 pm, Dr. Floretta “Flo” Barbee-Watkins will speak with us about the Matthew 25 initiative, as part of our new monthly Wednesday lecture series. The PC (USA) Matthew 25 Initiative seeks to deepen congregants’ faith as they work together to dismantle structural racism and systemic poverty. Dr. Flo is the Interim Executive Presbyter for our presbytery.
We pray for our Westminster family
Ongoing needsRiverside Community Gathering guests Betty Reed
Kathryn and Richard Trim Sue Bennett
Condolences
To the Michalak family on the January 15 death of son Jesse Douglas Northrup and family on the January 28 death of his father Richard Northrup
Please email prayer requests to Emily Kerr ( ) for listing here and in the
Friday Good Things Are Happening email; or contact Jill Fairchild, prayer chain coordinator ( or 734-417-0816). You can join our email prayer chain by contacting Jill. To keep us current, please share updates on those for whom we are praying.
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_____________________Grow in Faith and Friendship
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Reading Through the Bible Group meets online, Sundays at 9:30 am. Please contact Marcia Anderson ( ; 734-757-4305) or Jun Zhang ( ) for the meeting invitation.
Two small groups are meeting online on alternate Sundays at 7 pm:
• Immersion Study of James; 1, 2 Peter; 1,2,3 John; and Jude. First and third Sundays; please contact Bryce Babcock for information
( ).
• Romans. Second and fourth Sundays; please contact Marjorie McRoberts for information
( ).
Monday Conversations are weekly at 1 pm on Zoom. We discuss the readings and sermon from the day before. The Zoom meeting invitation is included in the Friday Good Things and Sunday worship podcast emails, or contact Rev. DeRosia ( ). All are welcome!
Wednesday Dessert Conversations are weekly at 7 pm on Zoom, providing time to connect, catch up with and encourage one another. The Zoom meeting invitation arrives via email on Wednesday mornings, or contact Margaret Klammer ( ).
Mary Martha Group meets online, the first and third Mondays at 7 pm. Please contact Margaret Klammer ( ) for the meeting invitation. New members are welcome.
Thursday Book Club meets at 1 pm weekly. New members are welcome. Please contact Melody McCormick to learn more ( ).
Westminster Staff members
All may be reached by phone at 734-761-9320 Rev. Dr. Melissa Lynn DeRosia, Pastor;Shawn McDonald, Minister of Music;
Margaret Compton, Office and Facilities Man-ager;
April Wright, Bookkeeper, Assistant Financial Secretary;
Marti Burbeck, Media and Communications Director;
Isaias Celestino, Custodian
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_______________________Welcome to Westminster
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We thank you for choosing to worship with us, and hope you experience God’s presence and love. We invite you to indicate your presence in worship at bit.ly/worship-sign-in.We invite you to worship with us online throughout the covid-19 pandemic at bit.ly/westpres_online.
Westminster reaches out through both local and global mission. Opportunities are available for spiritual growth through study and practical application of the Christian message. We are serious about prayer and caring for those in need. We are an authentic faith community offering fellowship and encouragement on life’s journey. We welcome all who seek deeper meaning in their lives.
More information is available on our website (www.westpresa2.org). You may contact Dr. DeRosia or any staff member by calling the church office at 734-761-9320. For deacon care, please contact Emily
Kerr ( ).
The Building Readiness Task Force continues to formulate plans for reopening the church facility, referencing local and
