6th Sunday after Pentecost … Sunday, July 20, 2025 at 10am
Come as you are! Everyone welcome … In-person or on Zoom.
R E A D I N G S
Psalm 100:1-5, Isaiah 7:1-17
S E R M O N
“Standing Firm” The Reverend Palenapa Mataafa
M U S I C
PRELUDE … Organ Sonata No. 1, Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), 1. Allegro moderato y serioso
INTROIT … Above All Praise and All Majesty, Felix Mendelssohn
HYMN … All People That on Earth Do Dwell
ANTHEM … Praise Thou the Lord, Felix Mendelssohn, arr. by Griffith J. Jones, Jenn Brody, soprano
HYMN … How Firm a Foundation
OFFERTORY … Organ Sonata No. 1, Felix Mendelssohn, 2. Adagio
HYMN … My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
POSTLUDE … Organ Sonata No. 1, Felix Mendelssohn, 3. Andante Recitativo, 4. Allegro assai vivace
Join us for Coffee Hour immediately after the service.
To subscribe to the weekly newsletter, click here.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S – – – – – – –
St. John’s YouTube Videos
Have you visited the St. John’s YouTube page? You will find some notable recordings of St. John’s Sunday forums, lectures, sermons and music. And, if you subscribe to the channel, you will get a notification when a new video is posted. For example:
Sunday Sermon: Elizabeth Conway, July 13, 2025
Sunday Music: Evangeline Wolfe & Charles Lee, July 13, 2025
Pride Sunday Sermon: Dr. Richard Lindsay, June 22, 2025
Sunday Forum: Nick Marinacci on USAID, May 4, 2025
Announcing a Watercolor Exhibit by Julia Oversloot
Come see Botanical Watercolors, a stunning new exhibit by acclaimed artist, and St. John’s member, Julia Oversloot. Known for her delicate layering techniques, Julia Oversloot newest collection captures the fleeting beauty of light, where color flows, and nature breathes on paper, in every brushstroke – an immersive experience into Julia’s vibrant world.
Part 1 – June 27 to August 4: Botanical Paintings … Is Art nature or nurtured for me? With Family Art History.
Part 2 – August 5 to August 26: “More Botanical Paintings,” with Decency and Luck book
All watercolors are at the Berkeley City Club, in the Loggia Room, 1st floor, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley; Free admission. For samples of Julia’s work, click on this link for the Mary L. Harden School of Botanical Illustration.
General Assembly committee helps Presbyterians confront Christian nationalism
By Mike Ferguson, Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — The General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations (GACIER) has a recent resource to help Presbyterians learn more about confronting Christian nationalism. The two-page document includes answers to frequently-asked questions and “God of All,” a liturgical witness against Christian nationalism by the Rev. Dr. Whitney Wilkinson Arreche and the Rev. Dr. Jacob Bolton. The authors acknowledge the influence of the writer and poet Cole Arthur Riley.
“The Presbyterian Church has had long-standing interfaith dialogue partners and it is incumbent upon us to stand with them when they are under assault, directly or indirectly, by Christian nationalism,” committee members said. “Recent events such as the second Trump Muslim ban and the antisemitic attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colorado, are examples that leave those communities with psychological and political tolls, and a cost that could include loss of power long struggled for. This kind of toll is not felt by the mainstream Protestant community unless we confess our part in it.”
“This new resource from GACEIR was conceived towards diminishing that damage,” committee members said, “and helping us stand with those under attack.”
“The core issue is not the religion itself, but how it’s co-opted for political and nationalist goals.” The liturgical witness against Christian nationalism includes four scriptural references: Isaiah 56:1-8, John 18:28-40, Acts 10:34-38 and Revelation 22:1-5. This articles is abridged; To read the rest of the article, click for the Presbyterian Church website.