O, Mammon!

Sunday, September 21, 2025
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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The gospel of Luke brings us a parable from Jesus’ mouth that is a real stunner—and not necessarily in a good way. At least, not at first reading. But somewhere in there, we know, is Good News. Can we find it?

You can join us on Sunday mornings in our beautiful sanctuary at 200 East Main Street, Endicott, NY. Or, you can join here, by clicking on the Youtube screen in this event. You are always welcome!

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time 

O, Mammon!
Psalm 113; Luke 16:1-13

Union Presbyterian Church 

September 21, 2025 

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 

Liturgist: Kevin Kelley Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube 

Prelude Chris Bartlette

“Lord, Be Glorified,” Mark Hayes

Prayer Joys and Concerns          Rev. Pat Raube

Welcome  

Announcements Kevin Kelley

Prelude [piano] Chris Bartlette

“To God Be the Glory,” Lloyd Larson

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

* Call to Worship from Psalms 113 and 100

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Let us worship the Lord with gladness!

Let us come into God’s presence with a song.

* Hymn # 25 W & R [organ]

“Let All Creation Bless the Lord,” Carl P. Daw, Jr.

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Let all creation bless the Lord,
Till heaven with praise is ringing.
Sun, moon, and stars, peal out a chord,
Stir up the angels' singing.
Sing, wind and rain! Sing, snow and sleet!
Make music, day, night, cold and heat!
Exalt the God who made you.

All living things upon the earth,
Green fertile hills and mountains,
Sing to the God who gave you birth!
Be joyful, springs and fountains,
Lithe waterlife, bright airborne birds,
Wild roving beasts, tame flocks and herds!
Exalt the God who made you.

O men and women everywhere,
Lift up a hymn of glory.
Let all who know God's steadfast care
Tell out salvation's story.
No tongue be silent—sing your part,
You humble souls and meek of heart!
Exalt the God who made you.

* Call to New Life   

The grace of God overflows for us. We come into God’s presence, knowing that God is love, and God will heal our brokenness.

* Prayer for Wholeness and Peace  

Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our failure to be what you created us to be. You alone know how often we have fallen short in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love.

~Silence~

And we pray,

By your loving mercy, help us to live in your light and abide in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our brother and our Savior. Amen.

* Assurance of God’s Love 

The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.

God is love.

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit,

we are forgiven and made whole.

Thanks be to God! Amen.

* Sharing of the Peace 

The peace of God passes all understanding.

May the peace of God be with you. 

And also with you. 

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace. 

Scripture Psalm 113 (Responsive)

Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord;
    praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time on and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations
    and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,

who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes,
    with the princes of his people.

He gives the barren woman a home,
    making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Time for Young Disciples          Rev. Pat Raube

Music: “When Morning Gilds the Skies” (Public Domain)

Anthem Choir

“Take My Life, That I May Be,” Mark Sedio

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Take my life, that I may be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of thy love;

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my life, that I may be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my voice and let me sing

Always, only for my King;

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from thee.

Take my life, that I may be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold;

Take my intellect and use

Every power as thou shall choose.

Take my life, that I may be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my will and make it thine,

It shall be no longer mine;

Take my heart, it is thine own,

It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my life, that I may be

Consecrated, Lord, to thee;

Take my moments and my days;

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Scripture Luke 16:1-13

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If, then, you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word: 

Thanks be to God! 

Sermon “O, Mammon!”

* Affirmation of Faith From the Confession of Belhar, South Africa, 10:3c-d

We believe that God’s gift of unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin, which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted.

We believe that this unity of the people of God must be manifested and be active in a variety of ways: in that we love one another; that we experience, practice and pursue community with one another; that we are obligated to give ourselves willingly and joyfully to be of benefit and blessing to one another.

* Hymn

(Sung to the tune of # 22 W & R, “Let All Things Now Living”)

“A Dishonest Steward,” Carolyn Winfrey Gilette

Used with permission.

A dishonest steward found out he'd been fired;
He thought, "I'm in trouble! Now what will I do?
It's not very likely that I'll soon be hired,
So I'll make a plan to get out of this stew."
He called up the people who owed his boss money;
He settled their debts at deep discount that day.
Those debtors were thrilled that their day had turned sunny;
Now they were indebted to him, in a way.

His boss heard what happened but did not reverse it;
His debtors were praising him; what could he do?
That boss seemed the hero; he'd make matters worse if
He tried to collect from those debtors anew.
He praised the shrewd worker—but not for deception;
He praised him for wisdom—for knowing the score.
He praised him for knowing that people could help him;
When money was gone, he'd have what mattered more.

O Lord, we remember the things that you taught us:
Though he was dishonest, that worker was shrewd.
He looked to the future and he was relentless.
He saw the big picture; he knew what was true.
For money won't matter; it never can save us.
Relationships matter when push comes to shove.
May we as a church face the changes around us—
Not trusting in money, but seeking to love.

Minute for Mission Peg Corwin

Prayers of the People 

The 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. 

Prayer Response  # 352 W & R (verse 2)      

“Spirit Song,” John Wimber     

O come and sing this song with gladness     

as your hearts are filled with joy.    

Lift your hands in sweet surrender to his name.    

O give him all your tears and sadness;     

give him all your years of pain,     

and you’ll enter into life in Jesus’ name.   

Call for Offering     

* Doxology # 145 W & R (verse 1)    

“Glory Be to God, Creator,” Richard K. Carlson   

Used by Permission.  CCLI License #CSPL068847

Glory Be to God, Creator,    
Glory be to God the Son,    
Glory be to God the Spirit,    
Known as three, yet God the One.   

* Dedication of Offering 

* Hymn # 391 W & R (verses 1-5, then verse 1)

“Will You Let Me Be Your Servant,” Richard Gillard

Used by permission, CCLI License #CSPL068847

Will you let me be your servant,

Let me be as Christ to you?

Pray that I might have the grace to

Let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey,

Here together on the road;

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you,

In the nighttime of your fear;

I will hold my hand out to you,

Speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping,

When you laugh I’ll laugh with you;

I will share your joy and sorrow

Till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God and heaven,

We shall find such harmony,

Born of all we’ve known together

Of Christ’s love and agony.

Will you let me be your servant,

Let me be as Christ to you?

Pray that I might have the grace to

Let you be my servant too.

* Benediction 

Postlude Chris Bartlette

“Thine is the Glory,” Robert W. Thygerson

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.     

“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.    

“PH” ~ the blue Presbyterian Hymnal 

Today’s prayer for Wholeness and Peace was adapted from a prayer in the PCUSA Book of Common Worship (2018).

Worship With Us

O, Mammon!