Scripture lessons for November 15

The next-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year is upon us next Sunday, and with it, lessons from Matthew 25:14-18 and Matthew 25:19-30.

Today at Glenville UMC

Joys

Thanks be to God for …
+ Jim and Renae’s wedding anniversary this week.
+ Tim and Dawn K.’s grandson Max worshipping with us today.
+ The wonderful church conference yesterday at Open Doors UMC in Wells.

+ Joyful, loving Ad Board meetings.

+ Shelley G.’s joy at attending her grandson’s hockey game and celebrating his team’s wins.
+ Shelley G.’s ongoing prayer shawl ministry that provides prayer shawls for Todd K. and Bonita M.
+ Gloria S.’ joy about the news that her son’s oldest daughter is expecting a baby in May 2027.
+ Donna D.’s joy that they created a fifth-generation photo of family members.
+ The much-needed rain in Bemidji that Roy and Nancy B.’s son reported.
+ Tim K.’s answered prayer that his combine started working again last Sunday.
+ Praise God for the faithful service of Sandy D. served as usher today.

Concerns
+ Praying for traveling mercies for those apart from us.
+ Praying for all who are dealing with medical challenges, specifically Shelley G.’s brother-in-law Craig, Bob S.’ friend Meryl B., Nancy B.’s sister Rose, Tony H., Sandy D.’s nephew Jay, a teenager who is very ill, Korla S.’ sister Kay and brother Kevin, Dawn K.’s great nephew Breken in Texas, Janet J., Todd K., Mike H., Roy B., and Jim H.
+ Praying for successful cataract surgeries for Roy and Nancy B. in the next couple of weeks.
+ Praying that God gives the strength and courage caregivers need while caring for their loved ones.
+ Praying for all who are struggling with food and housing insecurity.
+ Praying for all impacted by extreme weather conditions.
+ Praying for all who are impacted directly and indirectly by conflict in the world.
+ Praying for peace. 

Bulletin for November 8

 “I raise my eyes to You – You who rule heaven.”   Psalm 123:1 (CEB)

Welcome & Announcements

*Call to Worship (Bruce Powers)                                                 

Put aside the distractions of this world’s many gods. Stand in awe before God’s love. Prepare to worship in sincerity and faithfulness. The Lord Jesus and His God, we will serve, and His voice we will trust and obey, that generations to come may know their God. Stand up and celebrate the good news this day so that others may set their hope in the living God. We will not hide our thanks and praise but tell of the glorious deeds of the Lord and all the wonders God has done for us.

*Hymn: “Amazing Grace,” #378

*Prayer (Moira Laidlaw, posted on Liturgies Online)

We worship You, O God, as the one in whom we have placed our hope. We share the desire of Your people of old to tell of the blessings You have affected in our lives. When we think about the greatest blessing of all—the gift of Yourself in human flesh—Jesus Christ—we joyfully acknowledge that our hope in You is not misplaced. We choose to serve You because You chose to touch our lives so graciously in Christ. May our faithful witness and the service of our lives reveal the depth of our love and gratitude as we worship You, O God, and as we praise and adore You in Jesus’ name and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

*Gloria Patri, #70   

*Passing the Peace of Christ

Joys and Concerns

Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer                                                   

*Doxology: #95                                                   

*Offering Prayer

First Lesson: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-15

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Hymn: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” #133

Second Lesson: Joshua 24:16-25

This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

Sermon: “Words to live by"

*Hymn: “How Great Thou Art,” #77   

*Benediction

*Choral Amen

Postlude Music

“The worship is ended; let the service begin.”

*Please rise in body or in spirit.

2026 Charge Conference

District Superintendent, Rev. Michelle Hargrave

Our Charge Conference was held this afternoon at Open Door UMC in Wells. Glenville UMC was represented by Belinda A. and Gloria & Bob S. along with Pastor Charles.
 

Wednesday with the Wesleys

O Merciful God… I look upon you as my friend, my only refuge and constant benefactor. When I grieve for my sins, it is not for fear of punishment, but from the cutting reflection of my… ingratitude in offending my creator and preserver, the God in whom I live and move and have my being, the God to whom I owe infinitely more than I can conceive… [Let me] give thanks and say continually, “Lord, not my will, but yours be done,” Amen.

- Mrs. Lefevre, early English Methodist leader

Prayer for Election Night

God of grace and mercy,

As this day draws to a close, we place before you our nation, our communities, and one another.

For those who are anxious, grant peace. For those who are weary, grant rest. For those who are hopeful, grant wisdom. For those who are afraid, grant courage. For those who are grieving, grant comfort. For those who are celebrating, grant humility. And for all of us, grant the grace to remember that our lives are bound together, and that our calling to love one another remains.

We pray for those who have offered themselves for public service, for those entrusted with counting votes, and for those who will bear the responsibility of leadership. Give them prudence, integrity, humility, and a commitment to the common good.

Guard us from contempt and indifference. Keep us from allowing our differences to diminish the dignity of another. Where there is harm, give us courage to speak. Where there is injustice, give us strength to act. Where there is division, help us seek peace without surrendering truth.

And as night falls, keep watch over those who cannot rest, those who fear for their families, those whose livelihoods and futures are uncertain, and those whose voices too often go unheard. You know the fears we carry, both those born of uncertainty and those grounded in the realities of our world. Grant us wisdom to discern what is before us, courage to face what must be faced, and love that moves us to care for one another, our communities, and all creation.

Form in us the mind of Christ. Teach us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Remind us that our first allegiance is to you and that our neighbors remain entrusted to our care.

When morning comes, awaken us again to the work of love.

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our hope. 
Amen.

Bishop Lanette Plambeck
Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church

How Then Shall We Live? A message for Election Night

“Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.” ~ Philippians 1:27 (NRSVUE)

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” ~ Micah 6:8 (NRSVUE) 

Beloved in Christ,

The polls have closed, and tonight I am thinking of you.

As we come to the close of election day here in the United States, I am thinking of those of you sitting close to the television, and those who have turned it off. I am thinking of the poll workers driving home tired after a long day of serving their neighbors, of the families whose dinner tables hold more than one opinion, and of those who feel afraid tonight, whatever the reason. I know that for some, the stakes of this election are deeply personal, touching questions of safety, belonging, livelihood, and the future of those they love. Whoever you are, and wherever you are, please know that you are held in prayer, and you are held by God.

We do not yet know how this night will end. Some results may come quickly, and others may take days. Nor do we know how those entrusted with authority will receive the outcomes and respond in the weeks ahead. I will not pretend to have a certainty this night does not hold. But there are things I do know, and I want to name them to you with a clarity of conviction.

Jesus is Lord. The One we follow was not on any ballot, and his reign does not rise or fall with an election. Our hope has never rested in the outcome of an election, but neither does our hope excuse us from the work of justice, mercy, and peace. Through October, we walked beneath the Chi Rho, the ancient sign of Christ's name, asking what it means to put Christ at the center of how we belong, how we hold power, how we listen, and how we live. That question does not close with the polls. It will meet us again tomorrow morning.

You still belong to one another. In 1774, John Wesley counseled the Methodists who could vote "to speak no evil of the person they voted against" and "to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side." That counsel is ours tonight. The neighbor whose yard sign you drove past for months is still your neighbor. The person in the next pew is still your sibling in Christ. Our belonging to one another does not require us to surrender our principles, excuse harm, or pretend that every choice carries the same consequences. It does require us to recognize the image of God in one another, even when we disagree. Let us be gentle with our words, and guard our hearts and actions with the Three Simple Rules: Do no harm. Do good. Stay in love with God.

To love our neighbor is to love God. And loving God means we are still called to be good citizens, together. When God's people were in exile, far from home and unsure of the future, God told them to build houses, plant gardens, and seek the welfare of the city where they lived (Jeremiah 29:7). Paul urged the Philippians to live as citizens worthy of the gospel, standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side (Philippians 1:27). So, we pray for all who govern, those for whom we voted and those for whom we did not. We support what serves the common good, question what threatens human dignity, and resist what harms our neighbors. Our first allegiance is to God, and that allegiance calls us neither to withdraw from public life nor to surrender our conscience to political power. None of us does this alone. Plant seeds of hope and justice. Cultivate the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the marks of a people being formed by Christ.

In the days ahead, let us be patient while every vote is counted, and let us pray for a public life that is peaceful, lawful, and truthful. If the coming days bring harm to those who are vulnerable, the church will speak, clearly and with love, because that is what love of neighbor asks of us. The election may determine who holds office. It does not determine whom we are called to love; nor does it determine the responsibilities named at our baptism.

To my colleagues in pastoral ministry: you do not need every answer this Sunday. Set the Table. Make room for lament and for gratitude. Trust in the songs of our faith and lean into our liturgy. Perhaps passing the peace of Christ, baptismal remembrance, or celebrating Holy Communion is fitting for this season. Help our people remember who they are and whose they are, and that the work of loving God and neighbor continues.

And tonight, before you sleep, pray. Pray for our communities and our nation. Pray for those who will lead. Pray for the neighbor you find hardest to love. And then rest. The psalmist says, "I will both lie down and sleep in peace" (Psalm 4:8). God keeps watch through the night, and in the morning, we will rise to love God and our neighbor again.

With you in the waiting, and in the hope,

 
Bishop Lanette Plambeck
Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church