This Sunday at St. John's:
Rooted and Built Up
Friends,
This Sunday I’m glad to welcome the Rev. Dr. Valerie Bell to our pulpit. She’s preaching on Colossians 2:6-15. The sermon is called “Rooted and Built Up.”
What gets me about that text is the word rooted. Paul doesn’t tell the Colossians to believe harder or try harder. He tells them they were planted, and a planted thing grows the way plants grow: underground first, in the dark, long before anything shows up top.
I think about that every fall when the calendar fills back up. It’s easy to look busy and sturdy on the surface while the roots underneath are thin. The dry years are the ones that find out which trees were actually drinking from the stream and which ones were just standing near it.
Come worship this Sunday. Ann Hardy serves as our liturgist and leads the prayer of confession, and our first reading from Jeremiah gives the same picture in older words: a tree planted by water, unafraid when the heat comes.
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 20, 2026
17th Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering
Prelude,
Alina Klimaszewska, organ
*Call To Worship,
The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bell
Pastor: Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, said the prophet, for they shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.
People: Thanks be to God, who plants us where the water is.
Pastor: It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green, and in the year of drought it is not anxious and does not stop bearing fruit.
People: Thanks be to God, who keeps us green in a dry year.
Pastor: Six weeks ago a letter told exiles to plant gardens in Babylon, and this morning another letter tells us to be rooted and built up in Christ, and it is the same instruction and always was.
People: Thanks be to God, who has been growing something in us all along.
Opening Prayer
*Hymn 35
Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty
1 Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;
join me in glad adoration!
2 Praise ye the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
3 Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the amen sound from his people again;
gladly for aye we adore him.
Prayer of Confession,
Liturgist Ann Hardy
Gracious God, we confess we have put down shallow roots and then wondered why the heat undoes us every time it comes. We have been taken captive by things that sounded like wisdom and cost us dearly. Forgive us, and root us again in Christ where the water is. Amen. (Silent Confession)
Assurance of Pardon
*Glory Be to the Father
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
The Word
Prayer for Illumination
First Scripture Reading,
Jeremiah 17:7-8
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Anthem
Sermon Scripture,
Colossians 2:6-15
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.
Sermon,
“Rooted and Built Up”
The Rev. Dr. Valerie Bell
*Hymn 463
How Firm a Foundation, 1, 2, 4 and 5
1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2 “Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
4 “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
5 “The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”
*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
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 816
If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee
1 If thou but trust in God to guide thee,
with hopeful heart through all thy ways,
God will give strength, whate’er betide thee,
to bear thee through the evil days.
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
builds on the rock that nought can move.
2 Only be still, and wait God’s leisure
in cheerful hope, with heart content
to take whate’er thy Keeper’s pleasure
and all-discerning love hath sent.
No doubt our inmost wants are clear
to One who holds us always dear.
3 Sing, pray, and swerve not from God’s ways,
but do thine own part faithfully.
Trust the rich promises of grace;
so shall they be fulfilled in thee.
God never yet forsook at need
the soul secured by trust indeed.
*Benediction
*Postlude
Announcements
Brad Urquhart Memorial Service, Saturday, September 26, 11 am
We will gather in the sanctuary to remember Brad’s life. A reception will follow in McPhail Hall.
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.
Greeters and Ushers Needed
Calling all smiling faces to serve the Lord as greeters and ushers! The Worship Committee is looking for volunteers to enter the ministry of greeting and ushering during our Sunday morning Worship services. It is a great way to meet folks in the church and to practice your gifts of hospitality and friendship. Participation is on a rotating basis and the schedule will accommodate those times that you will not be able to serve due to a conflict. Contact Lynne Parsons Austin for more information. Your energy and smiling face is needed.
Caring and Fellowship Committee
Meets September 27
The Caring and Fellowship Committee meets on the third Sunday of each month, but this month’s meeting has moved to the fourth Sunday, September 27, after worship, due to Session business on the 20th. All are welcome.
Next Sermon Series
Generous Trouble:
When Kingdom Economics Interrupt Our Plans
Starting September 27, we begin a new sermon series for the stewardship season. Scripture keeps circling back to money, and it rarely leaves us comfortable. A widow gives her last coin. A rich man walks away sad. A whole community gathers only what it needs and no more. Nine weeks, nine stories, one question underneath all of them: what happens when God’s economy interrupts ours? We’ll move from the Jubilee’s reset button, through widows and rulers and a tax collector who gives away half of everything he owns, to All Saints’ Sunday and the Reign of Christ. Along the way, expect a few sermons that unsettle before they comfort. That’s the trouble worth having. Mark your calendar and come ready to be interrupted.
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.
Gift of Empathy Class
The Gift of Empathy Class will meet on Thursday, September 24, at 6:30 pm.
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 new phone system set up. In the meantime, please call the church office at (713) 993-6412. Thank you for your patience.
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
Linda Dobbin, health
Mary Hughes and family, in the loss of Mary’s brother Fred
Family of Brad Urquhart
Lisa, health
Sandy, health
Patti, health
Randy Finfrock, health
Alice’s grandson, Marc, 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 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
- 12:15 pm Financial Audit Meeting
- 1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
- 3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203
- Tuesday, September 22
- 5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
- Thursday, September 24
- 5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
- 6:30 pm Gift of Empathy Class
- Saturday, September 26
- 11:00 am Memorial Service for Brad Urquhart
- Sunday, September 27, 18th 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 Committee and Fellowship and Caring Committee
- 1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom
- 4:30 pm Pack 8 meeting, McPhail Hall
Coming Events
- Monday, September 28, Healing Hearts, 11 am
- Wednesday, September 30, Men’s Group Meeting
- Thursday, October 1, BIM Gala
