Bulletin for August 17th
Niccolls Memorial Presbyterian Church
Old Forge, New York
Bible Stories 3 Ways:
Literal, Metaphorical, Mystical
August 17, 2025
Link to Join us
PRELUDE
WELCOME
INTROIT: Come Into God’s Presence (#413)
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Leader: We come today to the well before us a place of meeting, of thirst, and of life.
People: God offers us living water.
Leader: Come with open hearts and thirsty souls, ready to be understood, to understand, and be renewed.
People: We gather to drink deeply, to receive grace and to share it freely.
All: Let us worship the God who meets us at the well.
OPENING HYMN: I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (#182)
MEDITATIVE MOMENT
Be Still and Know That I Am God
In this moment of meditation, you are invited to breathe deeply and rest in God’s presence. If at any point you find this time unsettling or need to step away mentally, please feel free to do so. You are loved and held just as you are.
(Moment of silence.)
SCRIPTURE READING: John 4:1-26
HOMILY: The Well Before Us
(Way 1: Literal Conversation At the Well)
REFLECTIVE READING:
“The literal stage is essential for the child’s faith development. It provides a foundation of clear, concrete understanding, where stories and teachings are accepted at face value and offer security and structure. However, faith must mature beyond this stage into more complex and symbolic modes of meaning-making to engage with the complexities of life and spirituality.”
— James W. Fowler, Stages of Faith (1981)
PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE
We will continue to pray as your son taught us to pray, saying…
*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.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
ANTHEM: Wachet Aug by J. S. Bach
Saxophonist: George Smith
DOXOLOGY: “All Creatures of our God and King” #607
(You are invited to stand if willing and able)
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
CLOSING HYMN: Guide My Feet (#741)
(You are invited to stand through the extroit, if willing and able)
DISTILLATION
(A brief opportunity for the congregation to shout out a word or phrase that distills their experience with the service.)
BENEDICTION
EXTROIT: Hold Us In Your Grace O God.
Hold us in your grace O God. Hold us in your Grace.
Hold us. Hold us. Hold me in your Grace.
+++++++++++
Worship Leader: Lee Vance (he/him)
Liturgist: Kathryn Godley
Saxophonist: George Smith
Choir Director: Judy Barker
Broadcast Engineer: Al Down
* As we come together in prayer, we acknowledge that the Lord’s Prayer has been incorporated in Christian liturgy since the earliest days of the Church and it holds deep familial meaning for many of us. At the same time, its traditional language reflects a patriarchal context and our Niccolls community embraces a more expansive view of the Divine. The language is challenging for some, and so we encourage each individual to interpret and internalize this prayer in a manner that aligns with their understanding and relationship with the Divine.
