6464 E. Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX 75214, USA
About Us
Celebrating 130 Years of Sharing Christ's Love!
WELCOME
St. Paul’s Church is celebrating its 130th Anniversary this year, and we invite you to visit us on Sunday to explore the richness of St. Paul’s Church and its history of Dallas. We have been in our present location since the completion of its new sanctuary and dedication on April 7, 1957. * Our goal continues to be to reach and serve others with the love of Christ and his good news. * The history of St. Paul’s Church is a Journey of Faith that tracks with the social and cultural development of the City of Dallas. * The foundation of St. Paul’s Church was laid by faith and has placed us in a unique location to serve at the geographic heart of Dallas. * We welcome you to our services today, and we look forward to your continuing presence with us as we pursue St. Paul’s Church’s Journey of Faith in the future.
Sunday Morning Church Services at 11:00 A.M.
About Us
Worship
Christian Education
Worship
Worship Service 11:00 am Sundays
Music
Christian Education
Worship
Music Program featuring Will Kanute,
Choir Director/Organist and the
Range Pipe Organ
Christian Education
Christian Education
Christian Education
Sunday School for Adults and Youth
Each Sunday at 10:00 am
Donations
Thank you for your generous gifts to our mission and ministry.
POSTPONEMENT OF ALL SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
TEMPORARY POSTPONEMENT
All church services and activities at St. Paul's Church physical location have been temporarily cancelled until notified otherwise. We will be following local, state, and national guidelines. We are still the church, worshiping at home, scattered but gathered.
Wear a mask; Wash your hands; Stay in; use common sense. Call, text, or email one another while physically separated. Be in prayer.
Wilkinson Center food drive -- September 27, 2020
In support of the Wilkinson Center, this month we are collecting the following items for their food pantry. Please participate with items or a monetary donation. Our collection date is Sept. 27th at church. This service project is being coordinated by Johnathan K. in preparation for his confirmation.
*Peanut butter
*kid-friendly cereal
*soups ... like vegetable, chicken noodle, chicken and rice, chicken and dumplings, chili (soups that are meal-type not recipe-type like cream of mushroom or cream of chicken)
*pasta ... like ravioli, beef-a-roni, spaghetti-O's
For monetary donations, please make your check payable to the Wilkinson Center.
https://www.thewilkinsoncenter.org/
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
This week continues our four week “Season of Creation”. We’ll take time to appreciate God’s creation and to join our worship to that of the rest of God’s creation. To this end, I invite you to do several things in preparation for worship today. 1. Consider worshipping outside. Find a peaceful corner in which you can focus and join in with creation. 2. If outside is not accessible to you, consider listening to THIS , a recording called “Hole in the Ground, Washington” by Gordon Hempton (whom you might remember from the first video in our summer series), as you prepare for worship. The recording is approximately 20 minutes, so you can take as much of that time as you need to center yourself and get settled. 3. Please gather some fragrant herb or flower to have with you during worship.
Our plan, currently, is that in the penultimate week of this series, on September 27, we will gather in-person to worship outside. We will follow that on October 4 with another outdoor service during which we will celebrate communion and share in a Blessing of the Animals.
Prelude: Touch the Earth Lightly
Click play on "Saint Paul Playlist"--pause at end.
Opening Prayer and Hymn
Opening Prayer*
Christ, we come into your presence today to worship in this sanctuary called Earth,
a planet filled with your presence, singing in the forests,
echoing in the land, pulsing in the wilderness, shimmering in the rivers.
God, reveal yourself to us in this place and show us your face in all creation.
Holy! Holy! Holy! Earth is filled with God’s presence.
Hymn: When Cain Killed Abel
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Confession, Gloria Patri & Anthem
Confession*
(Hold closely your small bit of creation during this confession)
As we take this in our hands, we remember and confess:
We remember the dry land that rose from waters in the beginning, the plants that emerged from the soil to cover the land with vegetation, and the rich diversity of animal life. We remember the gardens and the fields of our childhood, the places where we played in the sand, when we felt close to the ground, to magic flowers, and to baby animals.
Jesus Christ, once buried in Earth, hear our cry:
We regret that we have become alienated from Earth, and treated this garden planet as a beast to be tamed, as a domain to be dominated, and as a place to be ruled for our gain.
We remember and confess how we have violated and polluted the lands of our garden planet. We have killed living soils with chemicals, we have turned fertile fields into lifeless plains, we have cleared rich lands of wildlife. We are sorry.
Christ, teach us to love Earth as our home and all living creatures as our kin. Help us to return home to Earth.
+Christ hears your confession and forgives your sins. Christ invites you to come home to Earth, and Christ calls you to care for this planet with love, to nurture the land as Christ has nurtured you, and to join in healing creation.
Gloria Patri: click play on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: He’s Got the Whole World arr. By Mack Wilberg
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Scripture and Reflection
Scripture
Genesis 4:8-16
Psalm 139:7-10
Romans 5:12-21
Matthew 12:38-40
Reflection
+Cain spills Abel’s blood upon the earth. Jesus is to spend three days in the heart of the earth. We are rooted to the land in death but also in life. We can forget about the land on which we live, especially as we spend our time inside during the heat of the summer. But we are nonetheless tied to place and land. What might you do this week to remember this connection? How has this place and this land been important to you? What can you do to demonstrate your gratitude?
+I love this passage from Romans, because it reminds us of our connection. Yes we are all connected in our inevitable death, but we are all also connected in eternal life. And this connection is not exclusive or contingent. “For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.” Not just “many” as in “some” or “a lot”, but the many, as in, all. The entire amount. If we are connected to our place and the land, and we are connected to one another, then we find ourselves as part of God’s creation, bound together in both life and death. God weaves us together, an entire creation, offering grace and life. How have we separated ourselves from the land and from one another? What have we lost in the rending? When will we determine to repent and be made whole?
+As we see wildfires raging across the west and storm after storm forming in the oceans, we know that we have not cared for this land as we should. We have not practiced good stewardship as we have used Earth’s resources. And yet, as the Psalmist reminds us, there is nowhere we can go where God is not. God is present in the fire and God is present in the storm. God is present in the ravaged lands, in the blood upon the ground, in the weeping of the creatures, in the heart of the Earth. God has not abandoned us and God will not abandon us. Regardless the trials that come or the conflict that arises, we give thanks that God is here, and we hope in the weaving together of God’s creation.
Prayers of the People & The Lord's Prayer
Prayers of the People
God of life and love, you gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth;
but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- God, our Creator, whose glory fills all things, help us to discern your presence among us, especially in the wonders of the land. Help us to stand in solidarity with your land creatures who are suffering. Lift our spirits to rejoice with the land, the flowers of the field, and the creatures of the countryside. We ask this in the name of Christ, who reconciles and renews all things in creation. Amen.
- We pray for our nation as we move into election season. We are a nation torn apart, divided by ideology, race, political party. The pain is palpable, as is the disdain for one another. Remind us that as your people, we are Christian first--Christ is our head. Remind us that our allegiance is not to a politician or a party or even a nation, but to you. Bind us to you that we might live your dream for this world, a dream full of life and love, justice and truth.
- We pray for the sin of racism with which we continue to struggle. We pray for Jacob Blake and the families of Daniel Prude, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. Our commitment to this sin is ripping us apart. Heal our wounds and transform our hearts that we might repent and be changed.
- We pray for the nations and people around the world, particularly the displaced refugees in Greece, the Uighur community of China, and the continuing unrest in Belarus.
- We pray for those impacted by Covid-19. Comfort those who mourn. Sustain those who are ill and recovering. Strengthen the caregivers for the days ahead. Provide wisdom to our leaders as they make decisions which affect the reach of this pandemic.
- We pray for the sick, and those who care for them. We pray particularly for: Bonnie Steinhauer, Mary Louise Sampert, Pam Vorwerk, Jim Blume, Cathy Calder, Joyce Cope, Sierra Thetford, James Wellman, Adele Hahn, Suzanne Schwartz Milano, Patrick Tiner, Jane Hays, Rye Haller, Susan Covington, Jennifer Lee White, Carol Crowe, Joyce Dowless, Miliana Kelly, Matthew Babin.
- We pray for the church which continues, scattered but gathered, to proclaim your grace and engage your mission.
Jesus Christ, teach us to empathize with Earth. Make our spirits sensitive to the cries of creation, cries for justice from the hills and the trees. Jesus Christ, make our faith sensitive to the groans of the Spirit, groans from the deserts, the salt plains, the winds. Jesus Christ, make our souls sensitive to the songs of our kin, songs of celebration from the sea, the land and the air. Christ, teach us to care. Amen.*
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn: Touch the Earth Lightly
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Closing Prayer***
Gathered and scattered, God is with us.
In suffering and in hope, God is with us.
Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: For the Beauty of the Earth arr. By John Rutter
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
***Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR SUNDAY, september 6, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
This week begins a four week “Season of Creation”. We’ll take time to appreciate God’s creation and to join our worship to that of the rest of God’s creation. To this end, I invite you to do several things in preparation for worship today.
1. Consider worshipping outside. Find a peaceful corner in which you can focus and join in with creation.
2. If outside is not accessible to you, consider listening to THIS, a recording of the Amazon Rainforest by Gordon Hempton (whom you might remember from the first video in our summer series), as you prepare for worship. The recording is approximately 20 minutes, so you can take as much of that time as you need to center yourself and get settled.
3. Please gather some fragrant herb or flower to have with you during worship.
Our plan, currently, is that in the penultimate week of this series, on September 27, we will gather in-person to worship outside. We will follow that on October 4 with another outdoor service during which we will celebrate communion and share in a Blessing of the Animals.
Prelude: In native Worth and Honor Clad from “The Creation” by Franz J. Haydn
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Opening Prayer and Hymn
Opening Prayer*
Christ, we come into your presence today to worship in this sanctuary called Earth,
a planet filled with your presence, singing in the forests,
echoing in the land, pulsing in the wilderness, shimmering in the rivers.
God, reveal yourself to us in this place and show us your face in all creation.
Holy! Holy! Holy! Earth is filled with God’s presence.
Hymn: Heaven and Earth and Sea and Air-no introduction
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Confession, Gloria Patri & Anthem
Confession*
(Hold closely your small bit of creation during this confession)
As we take this in our hands, we remember and confess:
We remember the first garden, where God planted a forest of trees. We remember with awe and wonder the gift of this planet blessed with trees. We remember the gardens and the forests of our childhood, the places where we played in the past when we felt close to Earth, to trees and to our kin born of Earth.
Christ, crucified on a tree, hear our cry.
We regret that we have become alienated from Earth and have treated this garden as a beast to be tamed, as a domain to be dominated, and as a place to be ruled for our gain. We remember and confess how we have violated and polluted the forests in our garden planet.
We are sorry. We have ignored the distant sounds in the forest, the sound of chainsaws clearing for greed and gain, the sound of those old forest giants falling forever, the sound of rare species breathing their last. We are sorry.
Christ, teach us to love Earth as our home and all living creatures as our kin. Help us to return home to Earth.
+Christ hears your confession, forgives your sins, and calls you now to open your ears and your hearts to serve and to protect rather than to destroy our forests, the trees God has planted for life and wonder.
Christ invites you to come home to Earth, and Christ calls you to care for this planet with love, to nurture the forest as Christ has nurtured you, and to join in healing creation.
Gloria Patri: click play on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: O God, As with a Potter’s Hand by Michael Wheaton
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Scripture and Reflection
Scripture
Genesis 2:4b-22
Psalm 139:13-16
Acts 17:22-28
John 3:1-16
Reflection
+This week we are encouraged to consider the trees. They sit in the middle of the Genesis story, representing all vegetation with their fruit and their flowers. They prove useful to humans in providing food and shade (and as we now know, all sorts of environmental benefits such as clean air). But they are also present in a way that isn’t particularly “useful”--they stand beautiful and majestic. A vital part not only of God’s physical creation, but also standing with importance in a spiritual sense. This week, the crepe myrtle in our backyard has bloomed for the second time this year. I don’t remember seeing a second bloom happen before. It’s beauty reminds me of a creation that is larger than myself and indeed all of humanity. It isn’t bound by our fighting and our failures--it blooms regardless. And in blooming, it reminds us of the roots which connect all pieces of creation, our great Creator. Our Creator who is present throughout all of creation.
+We also see that we are here to serve creation, to till it and keep it. Often we hear ourselves as dominant over creation, but this is something different. We are to care for creation, keep it, serve toward its well-being. And this service can begin with our own backyard (or front as the case may be). Are we caring for our trees, providing them an environment in which to grow? What about the trees in our neighborhood or town?
+When we engage in this care, we not only succeed in this call to care for creation, we also learn a bit about our place in the world. Perhaps we as humans are not at the center of creation, or at the top of some sort of order. Maybe instead we one among many, each important, called to love and serve that all of creation might worship God.
+When we begin to understand ourselves as one part of the whole--each piece important, rather than the most important part of the whole, we will also begin to see a transformation in ourselves, in our society, and in our world. When we fail to understand this, that is when we see people refusing to wear masks, families detained and separated at the border, citizens killed by police, physical brawls over ideology. Recognizing the importance of the trees is vital in our journey of becoming more fully human and walking humbly with God.
+We see another theme in our readings this week: God is God of the kosmos, the entire universe. Christ comes to save the world. God is Creator of the whole world. And from there, God is Creator of all the nations. Let’s look at this in contrast to one of the narratives of the 20th century and again today: nationalism. Nationalism says we must place our particular country first. Nation first. Or in our case, America first. But this doesn’t align with the biblical view we see in these readings for two reasons. 1. God is God of the whole world, which means our country doesn’t hold more value than any of the others. 2. To declare ourselves Christian, to decide to follow Christ, means we place Christ first. The idea of nationalism is in direct conflict with what it means to be Christian. We must beware any narrative that tells us to place our nation above other nations, the people of this country above people of other countries, white people over people of color. None of these sentiments reflects the God we worship, the God who creates the heavens and earth and everything in them, the God who sends Christ to redeem the world, the God in whom all creatures live and move and have our being.
+We must, as followers of Christ, always remember that Christ is our Savior, that it is God we worship, and that we do so in chorus with the whole of creation. Never putting ourselves ahead of the rest, but always in a spirit of servitude and joy as we live alongside every sacred piece of God’s creation.
Prayers of the People & The Lord's Prayer
Prayers of the People
God of life and love, you gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth;
but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- God, our Creator, whose glory fills our planet, help us to discern your vibrant presence among us and our kin in creation, especially in the mysteries of the forest. Help us to empathize with your creatures who are suffering and to serve you as agents for healing your creation.
- We pray for our nation as we move into election season. We are a nation torn apart, divided by ideology, race, political party. The pain is palpable, as is the disdain for one another. Remind us that as your people, we are Christian first--Christ is our head. Remind us that our allegiance is not to a politician or a party or even a nation, but to you. Bind us to you that we might live your dream for this world, a dream full of life and love, justice and truth.
- We pray for the sin of racism with which we continue to struggle. We pray for Jacob Blake and the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmoud Arbery. Our commitment to this sin is ripping us apart. Heal our wounds and transform our hearts that we might repent and be changed.
- We pray for the nations and people around the world, as we all struggle against this pandemic and work to figure out loving our neighbors.
- We pray for those impacted by Covid-19. Comfort those who mourn. Sustain those who are ill and recovering. Strengthen the caregivers for the days ahead. Provide wisdom to our leaders as they make decisions which affect the reach of this pandemic.
- We pray for the sick, and those who care for them. We pray particularly for: Bonnie Steinhauer, Mary Louise Sampert, Pam Vorwerk, Jim Blume, Cathy Calder, Joyce Cope, Sierra Thetford, James Wellman, Adele Hahn, Suzanne Schwartz Milano, Patrick Tiner, Jane Hays, Rye Haller, Susan Covington, Jennifer Lee White, Carol Crowe, Joyce Dowless, Miliana Kelly, Matthew Babin.
- We pray for the church which continues, scattered but gathered, to proclaim your grace and engage your mission.
Jesus Christ, teach us to empathize with Earth. Make our spirits sensitive to the cries of creation, cries for justice from the hills and the trees. Jesus Christ, make our faith sensitive to the groans of the Spirit, groans from the deserts, the salt plains, the winds. Jesus Christ, make our souls sensitive to the songs of our kin, songs of celebration from the sea, the land and the air. Christ, teach us to care. Amen.*
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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
Closing Prayer***
Gathered and scattered, God is with us.
In suffering and in hope, God is with us.
Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: Singt dem Herren Allen Stimmen from “The Creation” by Franz J. Haydn
Sing to God, ye hosts unnumbered!
Thanks, all thanks for wonders new created!
Praise his name in song unending,
Loud in festive rejoicing!
The Lord is great; He reigns for evermore, Amen.
Click play on Saint Paul Playlist--pause at end.
***Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.