This Sunday at St. John's:

The Household Upended

Friends,

This Sunday I’m preaching on Philemon 8-21. The sermon is called “The Household Upended.”

What gets me is what Paul does with his authority. He tells Philemon plainly that he could command him. He has the standing, and both of them know it. Then he sets it down and writes, I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love. The strongest sentence in the letter is the one where Paul refuses to use his strength.

We all run households of one kind or another. A family, a business, a committee, a set of arrangements that works for us the way it is. Paul sends Onesimus home to one of those households carrying a letter that quietly takes it apart. No longer as a slave but a beloved brother. If he owes you anything, charge it to my account. Grace walks in the door and the old arrangement cannot survive it.

Come worship this Sunday. Glen Risley serves as our liturgist and reads the old law of slaves and their release from Exodus 21, Rev. Linda Herron leads Children’s Time, and Alina Klimaszewska is at the organ. We will sing, “Help us accept each other as Christ accepted us.”

Peace,

Pastor Jon Burnham

St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston

5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035

(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org

P.S. The service will be live-streamed

on our church website

and on our St. John's Facebook page.

St. John’s Presbyterian Bulletin

September 13, 2026

16th Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering

Prelude,

Alina Klimaszewska, organ

*Call To Worship,

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

Pastor: Paul had the standing to give an order and the authority to make it stick, and he set both of them down and wrote the word appeal instead.

People: Thanks be to God, who will not force what love has to choose.

Pastor: He sent a man home carrying a letter about himself, and that letter asked for something the law of that world did not require and could not imagine.

People: Thanks be to God, who upends the household from the inside.

Pastor: No longer as a slave, Paul wrote, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, and the whole arrangement cracked right there on the page.

People: Thanks be to God, who makes kin out of property.

Opening Prayer

*Hymn 14

For the Beauty of the Earth, 1, 2, 4 and 5

1 For the beauty of the earth,

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies:

Refrain:

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

2 For the wonder of each hour

of the day and of the night,

hill and vale, and tree and flower,

sun and moon, and stars of light: (Refrain)

4 For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth, and friends above,

for all gentle thoughts and mild: (Refrain)

5 For thyself, best gift divine

to the world so freely given;

for that great, great love of thine,

peace on earth and joy in heaven: (Refrain)

Prayer of Confession,

Glen Risley, liturgist

Gracious God, we confess we have used your word to hold in place arrangements you were trying to take apart. We have preferred order to justice and called our preference peace, and we have kept people in categories long after you called them kin. Forgive us, and upend whatever in us needs upending. Amen. (Silent Confession)

Assurance of Pardon

*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen, amen.

*Passing the Peace

Children’s Time,

Rev. Linda Herron

The Word

Prayer for Illumination

First Scripture Reading,

Exodus 21:2-11,

Glen Risley

When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone. But if the slave declares, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person,” then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him for life. When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without debt, without payment of money.

Anthem

Sermon Scripture,

Philemon 8-21

For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love, and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

The Word of the Lord for us today.

Thanks be to God.

Sermon,

“The Household Upended”

The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham

*Hymn 754

Help Us Accept Each Other

1 Help us accept each other

as Christ accepted us;

teach us as sister, brother,

each person to embrace.

Be present, Lord, among us

and bring us to believe

we are ourselves accepted,

and meant to love and live.

2 Teach us, O Lord, your lessons,

as in our daily life

we struggle to be human

and search for hope and faith.

Teach us to care for people,

for all, not just for some,

to love them as we find them,

or as they may become.

3 Let your acceptance change us,

so that we may be moved

in living situations

to do the truth in love;

to practice your acceptance

until we know by heart

the table of forgiveness,

and laughter’s healing art.

4 Lord, for today’s encounters

with all who are in need,

who hunger for acceptance,

for justice and for bread,

we need new eyes for seeing,

new hands for holding on:

renew us with your Spirit;

Lord, free us; make us one!

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers of the People and 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.

Welcome and Announcements

Offering

*Doxology, Hymn 609

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise God, all creatures high and low.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise God, in Jesus fully known: Creator, Word, and Spirit one.

Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

*Prayer after the Offering

Sending

*Hymn 772

Live Into Hope

1 Live into hope of captives freed,

of sight regained, the end of greed.

The oppressed shall be the first to see

the year of God’s own jubilee!

2 Live into hope! The blind shall see

with insight and with clarity,

removing shades of pride and fear,

a vision of our God brought near.

3 Live into hope of liberty,

the right to speak, the right to be,

the right to have one’s daily bread,

to hear God’s word and thus be fed.

4 Live into hope of captives freed

from chains of fear or want or greed.

God now proclaims our full release

to faith and hope and joy and peace.

*Benediction

*Postlude

Announcements

Pastor Jon Away for Continuing Education

Pastor Jon will be away for continuing education next week, Monday to Saturday, September 14-19.

Brad Urquhart Memorial Service, Saturday, September 26, 11 am

We will gather in the sanctuary to remember Brad’s life. A reception in McPhail Hall will follow the celebration of life.

Healing Hearts

Led by Lisa Sparaco, a licensed clinical social worker and member of our church, Healing Hearts offers a safe, faith-filled place for those walking through grief. The group gathers in the Prayer Room of the Church Office Building to share stories, receive encouragement, and walk together through seasons of loss. Monday, September 28, 11:00 a.m. to noon.

 Men’s Group Meetings – None until September 30

The Men’s Group will take a vacation until the end of September. The next meeting will be on September 30.

CE Committee Meets This Sunday

The CE Committee will meet this Sunday after worship.

Nominating Committee Meets This Sunday

The Nominating Committee will meet immediately after worship this Sunday in the Pastor’s Office.

Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting Postponed

The Fellowship and Caring Committee meeting is postponed to Sunday, September 27 this month.

Oil for Our Lamps

On Tuesday, September 15, Oil for Our Lamps will have a Zoom meeting.

Gift of Empathy Class

The Gift of Empathy Class begins its weekly meetings on Thursday, September 17, and continues on Thursday, September 24.

BIM Gala, Thursday, October 1

Tickets for the BIM Gala will be on sale in the narthex after worship. They are $50 per person; you may pay in cash or with a check made payable to BIM.

Church Phone Update

We have had issues with our church phone. We are still working to get the correct number restored. In the meantime, please call the church office at (713) 993-6412. Thank you for your patience.

Accessibility for the Entire Body of Christ

The Presbytery of New Covenant invites us to a workshop on Saturday, September 19, at Pines Presbyterian Church. What does it mean for a church to be truly welcoming? The day offers practical ways to welcome and accommodate people with a wide range of abilities and experiences, including neurodiversity, physical disabilities, deaf and hard-of-hearing members, people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s, and people from many cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Congregations from across the presbytery will gather for a day of learning, conversation, and ideas we can carry home. Lunch is provided and the event is free. Registration information is coming soon. Save the date.

Happy Birthday

Dan Herron (Sept 1)

Lea Sanford (Sept 2)

San Juana Flores (Sept 3)

Michael Rodgers (Sept 6)

Yor Ator (Sept 7)

Arwin Jump (Sept 11)

Kerry Gaber (Sept 12)

Allison Hardy (Sept 17)

Mel Liljedahl (Sept 21)

Sandy Kattner (Sept 21)

Somer Assaad (Sept 22)

Bryan Boyd (Sept 27)

Lindsey Sen-Roy (Sept 28)

Happy Anniversary

Dave and Rose Muanza (Sept 18)

Tom and Kristi Edmonsond (Sept 22)

Prayer Concerns

We hold before you those on our prayer list and all who are suffering, those in hospitals and in recovery, and those who have come to believe they are counted a burden by the people around them. Tell them otherwise, Lord, in a voice they will believe.

Katherine Kyle James, friend of Mark Swindler, health concerns

Family of Brad Urquhart

Lisa, health

Sandy, health

Patti, health

Randy Finfrock, health

Alice’s grandson, Marc, health

Cathy, Cindy Bergman’s sister, health

Gayle Morales, friend of Alice Rubio, recovering from hip surgery

Jessica Ivete Robles, friend of Alice Rubio, awaiting a kidney transplant

Phyllis Freeman, receiving hospice care in the Dallas area

Tom Edmondson and Kristi, his caregiver

Kelsey Wiltz, health

Scott Moore

Alice Rubio

St. John’s college students

Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes

One Hope Preschool families and staff

Calendar

• Sunday, September 13, 16th Sunday after Pentecost
• 9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
• 11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
• 12:00 pm CE Committee meets
• 12:00 pm Nominating Committee, Pastor’s Office
• 1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom
• Tuesday, September 15, Oil For Our Lamps on Zoom
• 5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
• Thursday, September 17, Gift of Empathy Class
• 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
• Saturday, September 19, Accessibility Workshop at Pines Presbyterian
• Sunday, September 20, 17th Sunday after Pentecost
• 9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
• 11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
• 12:00 pm Faith in Action Meeting
• 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
• 3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203

Coming Events

• Saturday, September 26, Memorial Service for Brad Urquhart
• Sunday, September 27, Fellowship and Caring Committee Meeting
• Monday, September 28, Healing Hearts, 11 am
• Wednesday, September 30, Men’s Group Meeting
• Thursday, October 1, BIM Gala

Letters from Prison:

Paul’s Radical Freedom Behind Bars

• September 13 – Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost “The Household Upended” OT: Exodus 21:2-11 NT: Philemon 8-21
• September 20 – Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost “Rooted and Built Up” OT: Jeremiah 17:7-8 NT: Colossians 2:6-15