20th Sunday after Pentecost
October 11, 2026
Loving God and loving neighbor here in central Vermont
and to the ends of the earth—all to the glory of God.
We Welcome Our Visitors to Red Door Church!
Prelude
House
Welcome and Announcements
σ Listen for upcoming events and ways you can get involved.
Pastor Josh
Call to Worship—Based on Psalms 111 and 112
σ Confess what you believe about the Christian faith.
Scott Puopolo
L: God calls us to worship and we respond: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
C: Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!
Opening Prayer
σ Invite God to work in you as you worship today.
Scott Puopolo
Worship Songs
σ Join with the congregation in praise to God.
Pastor Josh and Deb Shofstahl
#1—How Great Thou Art
Verse 1
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r thro’out the universe displayed.
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Verse 2
When thro’ the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
Verse 3
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Verse 4
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art.
Confession and Assurance—Based on Romans 1
σ Join with the congregation in praise to God.
Pastor Josh
L: Recognizing God’s greatness and our unworthiness, we now confess our sins.
C: Father, forgive us for we have suppressed the truth that is clearly seen in the world around us. Forgive us for even though we know you, we do not honor you or give thanks to you. Forgive us for rejecting your wisdom given to us in your word and by your Spirit. Forgive for exchanging your glory for lesser things and worshipping and serving the creation over you, the Creator, for we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
L: Hear the good news of the gospel. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
#355—I Need Thee Every Hour
Verse 1
I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford
Chorus
I need Thee, O I need Thee,
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee!
Verse 2
I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their pow’r
When Thou art nigh.
Verse 3
I need Thee every hour,
In joy, or pain;
Come quickly and abide
Or life is vain.
Verse 4
I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!
#359—Be Thou My Vision
Verse 1
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Verse 2
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Verse 3
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
Verse 4
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Scripture Meditation—Romans 1:18-32
σ Hear a reading from the Scriptures that relates to the sermon text.
Charlie Stabolepszy
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Congregational Prayer
σ Join together in prayer and lift your concerns to our gracious God.
Scott Puopolo
The Lord’s Prayer
σ In closing, pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray.
Congregation
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Scripture Reading—Proverbs 1:1-7
σ Read this portion of God’s word.
Pastor Josh
The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
L: The grass withers and the flower fades.
C: But the word of our God will stand forever.
Sermon
σ Hear God’s word proclaimed and explained.
Pastor Josh Moore
Song of Response—#386 Take My Life and Let It Be
σ Respond to the preaching of the word with song.
Pastor Josh and Deb Shofstahl
Verse 1
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love,
At the impulse of Thy love
Verse 2
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King,
Always, only, for my King
Verse 3
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages for Thee,
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold,
Not a mite would I withhold
Verse 4
Take my love, my God, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Benediction
σ Receive a parting blessing as you go into the world for Christ.
Pastor Josh
Postlude
House