11th Sunday after Pentecost … Sunday, August 24, 2025 at 10am
Come as you are! Everyone welcome … In-person or on Zoom.
R E A D I N G S
Jeremiah 1:4-10, Luke 13:10-17
S E R M O N
“Unbound and Upright: From Bent to Blessed” The Reverend Joby Joy
M U S I C
PRELUDE … Rhosymedre, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
INTROIT … Lord, Thou Art My Refuge, Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)
HYMN … I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
ANTHEM … Mache dich, mein Herze, rein, J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
HYMN … O Christ, the Healer
OFFERTORY … I got me flowers, Ralph Vaughan Williams
HYMN …God Be with You Till We Meet Again
POSTLUDE … Allabreve in D Major, J.S. Bach
Join us for Coffee Hour immediately after the service.
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A N N O U N C E M E N T S – – – – – – –
Calendar Notes
Sept 1 – Labor Day Actions Rally at San Pablo/University @4pm
Sept 14 – SJ Christian Education Kickoff
Sept 20 – Intl Coastal Cleanup Day
Sept 21 – SJ Ordination & Installations of Elders/ Deacons
Sept 21 – International Day of Peace
Sept 22 – Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown
Sept 27 – Berkeley Presbyterian Mission Homes’ Homecoming Event, 2918 Regent Street, Berkeley, from 3pm to 5pm with Live Music, Tours of the Homes, and an International Potluck
Oct 1 – Yom Kippur begins at sundown
Oct 5 – World Communion Sunday
Oct 5 – Indigenous People’s Day
Oct 20 – Diwali, festival of lightsOct 26 – Reformation Sunday
Lamenting increased militarism in our streets
The Office of Public Witness issues Call to Action, urging Presbyterians to ‘faithfully resist the idolatry of power and bear witness to God’s peace.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares …
neither shall they learn war anymore. — Isaiah 2:4
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be
called children of God. — Matthew 5:9
As followers of Jesus Christ and members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), scripture calls us to speak with moral clarity in times of injustice. Today, we lament the increasing militarization of our cities and public spaces — a trend that undermines public trust, deepens racial and economic injustice, and distracts from policies that criminalize poverty, target immigrants and vulnerable populations, and threaten democracy.
In recent years, law enforcement agencies nationwide have increasingly utilized military-grade weapons, advanced surveillance technologies, and patrolled our city streets with marked and unmarked armored vehicles. Under the first Trump administration, this trend reached new and dangerous heights. In June 2020, peaceful protestors in Lafayette Square were violently dispersed with tear gas and riot control tactics, clearing the way for a photo opportunity misappropriating the Christian religion as a justification for authoritarian control. Federal agents were deployed to cities like Portland without the consent of local officials — actions condemned by civil rights organizations, faith leaders and international observers alike.
While these images drew public outcry in years past, the patterns of state violence have not only continued but evolved in recent months under the current Trump administration. This misuse of policing is not impartial as it disproportionately targets Black and brown communities. Children and teenagers have become primary targets in federal crackdowns masquerading as public safety efforts. In major cities, ICE enforcement actions have significantly increased. Sweeps targeting immigrant and unhoused communities are being conducted with tactical units, not housing specialists or social workers.
This month, despite violent crime in Washington, D.C. being at a 30-year low — with violent crime down 26%, homicides down 12%, carjackings down 37%, and overall incidents down more than 35% from 2023 — President Trump declared a public safety emergency and invoked a little-used clause of the D.C. Home Rule Act to seize control of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy 800 National Guard troops under federal authority for 30 days. City leaders, legal experts, and faith communities have denounced this action as politically motivated, unlawful, and an attack on local governance.
To continue reading this article from the Presbyterian Church USA, please click on link for the Presbyterian News Service webpage.