Worship Service

August 23rd (Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost)

“WE GATHER TO PRAISE GOD AND BE CHRIST’S PEOPLE”

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

“A single day spent in your Temple is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a doorman of the Temple of my God than live in palaces of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10)

Opening Hymns - “O How He Loves You and Me” ---------------------- 2108(TFWS)

Opening Prayer (Taught by Love, Lavon Bayler)

God beyond our knowing, we believe that you care for humble people who seek to follow your Word more than for those who are pretentious and proud in places of power. You have protected your people when they were surrounded by trouble. You have provided a way of escape in the midst of oppression. Your love never fails. Come, Holy One, to transform us. Work within and among us to renew our minds and build community. Nurse us into the health you intend for all your children. You are our help and our hope. Amen.

Welcome & Announcements

Good morning! How are you today? Welcome to the worship of our Lord. Today is the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. We believe that we are saved from the power of darkness through Jesus’ precious blood and became God’s children. As God’s children, we want to keep our faith that Jesus is our Lord and we want to have power from the Holy Spirit through our worship. Through our worship, we pray that we can praise God, we can glorify God, and we can give thanks to God.

1. Worship Update: Thanks to all who completed the survey regarding in-person worship services; the

feedback was valuable. The Re-launch team is hosting a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, August 25, 6:30

p.m. and invites all those who wish to participate to join in the conversation. Please watch for an email

early next week with the link to the meeting.

2. Please continue to give as you are able during this time. There are several options for giving: 1) Give online through our website, www.berthoudumc.org. At the top-right corner of the website is a white heart with a button that says “giving”; click on that button and follow the instructions. If you have not set up a profile, you will have to do that first. Call Debbie in the office or Barbara Boyd for help. 2) Mail a check to 820 9th Street, Berthoud, CO 80513.

3) Drop off a check or cash to the church office on Monday-Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

3. On the Calendar:

Re-Launch Meeting; Tuesday, August 25, 6:30 p.m. via zoom

UMW Executive Board meeting; Tuesday, Sept. 1, 4:00 p.m. in the Builder’s room

Caring Connections; Wednesday, Sept. 2, 9:00 a.m. in the library

Finance Committee meeting; Thursday, Sept. 10 6:30 p.m., place TBD

Trustee Meeting; Tuesday, Sept. 15, 7:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall

Church Council Meeting; Thursday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m., place TBD

Passing the Peace of Christ: Please Greet Each Other in Jesus’ Name – “Peace be with you!”

Hymn - “Only Trust Him” ----------------- 337(UMH)

Prayers of Joy and Petition

It is time for us to open our hearts, and share our joys and concerns. We want to pray for one another. We can remember each other in our hearts and in our prayers.

Sharing - Please share your joys and concerns together. Please do not forget to give thanks to God.

Meditation – Together

Pastoral Prayer

Our gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we give you thanks with our whole hearts and sing your praises gladly. We praise you because you have exalted above all things your name and your Word. You alone show us steadfast love that never waivers and faithfulness that can be fully relied upon. Oh Lord, the reason we come to you today in prayer is because we have heard the good news that you are God. Because you have forgiven our sins and set aside your wrath, we know we can come to you in prayer and thanksgiving. We thank you today for salvation through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. Our sins are cleansed and you welcome us into your presence.

Lord, we pray for the people who are in our hearts and minds. Please look down inside each of us and see all the needs that are there. We have many brothers and sisters who need your power of love. They are suffering from pain, sorrow, anguish, and loss. Many are facing serious physical, mental, and emotional challenges, and they need your healing touch. We believe that you can do everything about them. We are looking to you right now to meet those needs and bring healing, restoration, and forgiveness. We believe you are the only comfort for our sorrow and pain. Please lead us with your peace.

We pray for all our church members. Give wisdom and direction as we all seek to do your will and fulfill your purposes as your church. We want to be busy doing the things that are close to your heart and things that will count for eternity. Help us realize the truth of who you are and what you have done for us, and of who we are and what we are called to do for you. Help us keep our eyes focused on you. Help us see the needs around us and meet those needs in you. Make us a church that desires to love in both word and deed. Holy God, we trust you. We thank you for what will be. We thank you especially for your promises; for hope and a new and transformed life in Christ. Please empower us by your Spirit to respond fully to your love, to glorify and honor your name, and to love as your people. We pray in Jesus’ name.

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.

Scripture Reading ----------------------------- “Matthew 16:13-20” -------------------------------- Stu Boyd

When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who are the people saying I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; some, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “Who do you think I am?” Simon Peter answered, “The Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” “God has blessed you, Simon, son of Jonah,” Jesus said, “for my Father in heaven has personally revealed this to you—this is not from any human source. You are Peter, a stone; and upon this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; whatever doors you lock on earth shall be locked in heaven; and whatever doors you open on earth shall be open in heaven!” Then he warned the disciples against telling others that he was the Messiah.

Sermon --------------------------------------- “You are!” ------------------------------------- Rev. KyeongSu Jung

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It is Peter’s confession of faith. It has been regarded as the most perfect and the greatest confession of faith about Jesus Christ in human history. Today, we want to share his confession of faith together. After Jesus performed wonderful miracles, he took his disciples to a solitary place, the region of Caesarea Philippi, so he could have a relaxing time with his disciples. When Jesus had a talk to his disciples without reserve, he asked them two questions. Those were “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” The first one was a general question; Jesus asked what the public opinion about him was. When Jesus asked the first question, they were excited to tell him the public’s viewpoint because they heard lots of good things about Jesus from the people. That is, they enjoyed Jesus’ popularity. They reported all kinds of opinions which they heard. “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But, those were not theirs. They just relayed what others said.

While they were clamoring with excitement, Jesus asked one more thing: “If so, what about you?” It was an individual question. Jesus asked what his disciples perceived about him, not others. “What about you?” When Jesus asked, suddenly they fell silent at his question. They whispered among themselves. “Why does he ask? What does he want to hear? We already told him what people say about him.” There was silence for a while. They hesitated to answer because it was very difficult to answer for them. They did not think seriously about that. At that time, Peter confessed. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” It was an amazing confession because he confessed exactly who Jesus is. When the other disciples just delivered other people’s opinion, Peter boldly confessed his own belief. That is why Jesus gave a glowing account of his confession. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

From Peter’s confession, we can see the core of Christianity. First, Peter confessed, “You are Christ.” He said, “Christ.” What is the meaning of Christ? It means “the Anointed One” in Greek. And, it is the same meaning as the “Messiah” in Hebrew. In the old times of Hebrew society, there were three kinds of social leader classes. Those were “the prophets, the priests, and the kings.” The prophet was a special leader who conveyed God’s message to the people. The priest was a representative person who could offer spiritual sacrifices to God for the people. And the king was a person who ruled the people within God’s Words. To become one of those three leaders, the ritual ceremony of anointing on the head was required. It was a symbol of distinction that they should have a special life. They had to live differently in comparison with normal people. So, people followed and obeyed those leaders. In the Bible, we can find the fact that Israel’s society prospered and had a peaceful life when those leaders performed their duty well. But it did not last long because they died. And, many leaders did not follow God’s rule faithfully. When they failed to fulfill their mission, people were corrupted and social unrest followed. Consequently, God’s rage and punishment were the inevitable results.

However, God could not see human corruption and destruction because he loved his people. God continuously sent true leaders who served to turn the Israelites back to God. However, humans did not hear their message and did not follow their teaching. Finally, God sent his only son Jesus to save us as the final way. Jesus, he came here as the prophet, the priest, and the king. During his public life, he evangelized God’s message of love as the prophet. He gave himself as the Atonement for us as the highest priest. And, he resurrected and became the king of kings. Peter’s confession exactly expressed this. He confessed Jesus as the Anointed One and Messiah for him and all human beings. It was possible because Peter believed Jesus as the Messiah who they waited for so long. Of course, other disciples’ answers were also wonderful. But, what they answered was not theirs. They just delivered people’s response about Jesus. That is, they showed themselves as outsiders. Although they were with Jesus for three years, they missed the most important thing that they had to have.

They missed the truth that Jesus is the Messiah and the Lord. If so, how about us? Do we believe Jesus as our Lord and Messiah as Peter confessed? Otherwise, is Jesus just one of the great men in human history? What is your answer? Jesus is not one of the Saints. Jesus is Christ: the Messiah and the Lord. We have to confess, “You are Christ” as Peter confessed. Our confession will make God happy and God will bless our confession of faith.

Second, Peter confessed that “You are the son of God.” It was the confession about the divinity of Jesus. It means “God became human. And, Jesus is God.” It was an amazingly wonderful confession of faith. But it was a very dangerous confession at the same time because it could be regarded as blasphemy in Jewish society. Yes, Jesus is God, Creator. Apostle John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3) Apostle Paul also testified, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) God came to us as a human. We call it “Incarnation.” John testified, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Apostle Paul also confessed, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:6) However, humans did not recognize that God came here for us. John chapter 1 verse 5 said, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” Verse 11 also said, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” People did not accept Jesus as the son of God. People could not realize who Jesus was. They just viewed Jesus as one of the great men. That is why the disciples described Jesus as “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” with people’s opinions. Therefore, we can guess that other disciples were surprised by Peter’s confession. They would say “How can it be possible? How can we be with the son of God? Peter must be crazy.” Although God showed his message in the Old Testament, they could not understand God’s plan. Because they could not realize God’s promise, they could not confess like Peter. Because they missed God’s promise of salvation, they could not accept Jesus as the Christ and the son of God. But, Peter was different. He believed that Jesus is the son of God who came to show his love for us. He accepted Jesus as not only the prophet and the priest but also his king who he has to serve and follow. That is why Peter could do the most perfect confession of faith.

Let’s think about us. Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” How about us? Who is Jesus to you? Is he just a prophet? Do you feel Jesus is very far from you? Do you feel you have nothing to do with Jesus? Please believe that the baby who was in the manger is your Lord. Please believe that Jesus who showed the miracle at Cana in Galilee is your Lord. Please believe that Jesus who crucified on the Cross is your Lord. Please believe that Jesus who won against the power of darkness and resurrected is your Lord. And please confess “You are my Lord, my King, my Savior, and the son of the living God.” When we believe Jesus as our Lord, we can confess like Peter. When we confess like Peter, we can realize his everlasting love for us and we can be empowered by his power in our spiritual journey. That day, Peter was the happiest person in the world because Jesus accepted his confession of faith. Peter heard the most wonderful compliment from Jesus in his life. It is the same for us. When we confess like Peter, we can also become the happiest person in the world because we will become the channel of his blessing. I pray we can confess our faith for the Lord. I pray we can all be called a channel of his amazing blessing as his people and his children.

Let’s pray. Loving God, thank you for giving us this time to worship you. Thank you for giving your wonderful message of love. We give thanks to you because you came here to show your love and to save our lives. And, you promised that we are your children when we believe you as our Lord and Savior. Because we are your people, you want us to believe that you are our Lord and Messiah. You want us to confess “You are the Christ. You are the son of the living God.” Please help us show our faith for you. Please help us believe and confess that you are our Lord and Messiah in our lives. Please help us enjoy being your loving people and your blessed children. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Offertory – “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow” ------------ 94 (UMH)

Offertory Prayer (Taught by Love, Lavon Bayler)

Receive our offerings, gracious God, as an expression of our thankfulness. In your church, we are privileged to cultivate the dimensions of our lives that give meaning and purpose to all we do. Here we become aware that the greatest gifts we receive are not material, and we learn how best to use the particular gifts you give us. At the same time, you show us how our material advantages can help others. May many be blessed through our sharing of these offerings and our sharing of ourselves. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Closing Hymn - “He Is Exalted” ----------------------------- 2070(TFWS) x 2

Commission and Blessing

We believe the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ,

And the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Great is our God, and greatly to be praised.

May the Lord continue to bless us and keep us.

May the Lord continue to make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us.

May the Lord continue to look upon us with favor and give us peace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we pray.

Amen.