St. James Presbyterian Church (USA)
“Serving the Kingdom of God for One Hundred and Thirty Years
in the City of New York."
November 16, 2025
The Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
“Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
Order of Service
Prelude RE Oscar Maxwell, III
Opening Reading of the Day Isaiah 12
*Call to Worship RE Andréa Bradford
One: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation, says the prophet.
All: We come thirsty for renewal, ready to rejoice in the God who saves.
One: God is crafting new heavens and a new earth—where weary hearts rise and hope breathes again.
All: Our faith endures. Our love increases. Our giving becomes testimony to grace.
One: Come, let us worship the Living God--
All: The God who sings creation into being and shapes our lives into praise.
Opening Hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” PH 376
Prayer of Adoration RE Andréa Bradford
Holy God, fountain of joy and builder of new worlds, you meet us at the edge of our weariness
and breathe strength back into our bones. You whisper life into dry places, call forth rivers in forgotten deserts, and gather us like a holy people returning home. We praise you for joy that rises like morning light, for mercy that holds steady through the shaking, for love that grows in us like a widening circle of grace. Shape our worship, O God. Let our prayers be living water, our songs be seeds of hope, and our hearts become the ground where your new creation takes root. Amen.
Musical Response “Fill My Cup” PH 350
Call to Confession (Remain Seated) RE Andréa Bradford
Know this, the God who forms new heavens and new earth also reshapes the hidden corners of our hearts. Do not fear honesty for confession is the doorway where grace steps in and courage begins to grow. Trusting the one who renews us, let us come into the presence of mercy.
Confession
Creator of all that is becoming, we confess that we have let fear shrink our faith. We have doubted the dawn even while standing in the first light of your promise. We have held back generosity when you invited us to give with joy. We have clung to what once was instead of leaning into what You are making new. Forgive us, O God. Turn our weariness into wonder, our hesitation into holy hope, our reluctance into love overflowing. Grow in us the faith that endures and the love that keeps increasing for the sake of your world and your name. Amen.
Silent Confession
Musical Response “I Will Do a New Thing” Audrey Byrd
Assurance of Pardon RE Andréa Bradford
Hear this truth that the world cannot shake: the God who births new creation comes to us with mercy in both hands. Christ lifts us, restores us, and strengthens every trembling place within us. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, called to rise in courage, walk in gratitude, and live in the abundance of God’s love. Praise be to God!
Musical Response “There’s A Bright Side Somewhere” Margaret Jenkins
Community Life
Peace of Christ RE Andréa Bradford
Friends, the peace we share is not of our making it is the peace of Christ: gentle enough to calm a storming heart, strong enough to steady us when the world feels unsteady. It is the peace that endures, the peace that keeps us from fear. May this peace of Christ be with you.
And also, with you
Prayer of Illumination
Spirit of the Living God, breathe upon us now. Let Your Word fall like rain on thirsty soil, softening, stirring, awakening. Grow in us the wisdom to hear, the courage to follow, and the love that bears witness to your new creation in our midst. Amen.
Scripture First Reading Isaiah 65.17-25
Second Reading 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13
Gospel Luke 21.5-19
Let the Children Come “Holding On Together When Life Feels Hard”
Special Music “Hold On” African American Spiritual
Sermon “Hold On to One Another: Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen
Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
*Congregational Hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” Elisha A. Hoffman
Postlude
The End of Worship, the Beginning of Service
Sermon Companion Guide
“Hold On to One Another: Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
2 Thessalonians 3:6–13
November 9, 2025 — Stewardship Season, Week Four
Introduction: When Holding On Becomes Holy.
In this fourth week of Stewardship, we enter the heart of our theme: faith that grows, love that increases, and endurance that becomes communal. Week One taught mercy’s humility. Week Two showed love’s wider sight. Week Three invited trust in God’s unfinished work. Now we hear Paul call a weary people back to one another—to resist isolation, to lean on community, to endure together. Stewardship is not merely giving; it is belonging. It is the shared decision to keep building God’s future, even when the world trembles and hope feels thin.
Central Theme
Stewardship as Communal Endurance — Love Increasing Through Testimony
We endure together. We give because God is building a new creation through our connection.
Scriptural Focus
“Do not grow weary in doing what is right.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:13
“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” — Isaiah 65:17
Endurance is not solitary striving—it is shared strength, woven through testimony, compassion, and community care.
Movement I — The Endurance We Share
Theme: Faith becomes strongest when held together.
Intent: To reveal that communal presence is the antidote to spiritual fatigue.
Reflection: Paul’s words have been misused to harm the vulnerable, but in context he is calling a discouraged community back into relationship. What keeps us going is not grit alone but the grace of belonging. Faith grows when we refuse to let anyone hold on alone.
Practice: Name someone whose presence strengthens you. Whisper: “Thank you for holding on with me.”
Movement II — Testimony as Spiritual Offering
Theme: Our stories build one another’s courage.
Intent: To reframe testimony as holy generosity.
Reflection: Your testimony may be the lifeline someone else needs. Not boasting—blessing. Not performance—presence. Every honest story of survival becomes a brick in God’s new creation.
Practice: This week, share one small testimony of how God has carried you.
Movement III — Isaiah’s Vision: God Builds with What Remains
Theme: God does not discard our ruins—God redeems them.
Intent: To help us trust that nothing in our lives is wasted in God’s hands.
Reflection:
Isaiah’s new heaven and new earth do not rise from destruction but from God working tenderly with what survived the storm. The Holy One removes what harms and heals what still holds life. God builds from the remnant, the wisdom, the endurance you carried through.
Practice: Identify a place in your life where “the bones are still good.” Pray: “Holy One, build new life here.”
Movement IV — Prophetic Love in the Face of Injustice
Theme: Endurance becomes resistance when it protects the vulnerable.
Intent: To hear the sermon’s prophetic critique as a call to compassionate action.
Reflection: In a nation where policies ration food and inflate healthcare at the expense of the poor, the church witnesses another way. We refuse cruel theology. We embody God’s justice by choosing compassion, generosity, and collective courage.
Practice: Offer one act of care this week to someone burdened by today’s injustices.
Movement V — Leaning as Strength
Theme: Endurance sometimes looks like resting on God and community.
Intent: To honor vulnerability as sacred trust.
Reflection: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” invites us to holy surrender. Leaning is not weakness—it is wisdom. It is the faith that rises when strength runs out and community becomes the arms of Christ.
Practice: When you feel weary, breathe these words: “I lean into Your strength.”
Key Quote from the Sermon
“When one of us holds on, all of us hold on; and when all of us hold on--
everything, by God’s grace, will be all right.”
Closing Prayer for Enduring Community
Holy One who holds us together, you gather us when we grow weary and knit us into a community of shared strength. Build in us the courage to endure, the compassion to uplift, and the love that increases through testimony and care. Let our giving—of story, of presence, of hope— become part of Your new creation rising among us. Through Christ, who makes us one. Amen.
St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Ph.D. 2025 ©
Stewardship & Giving at St. James
October 26 – November 23, 2025
Grace Shared · Community Strengthened
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Pastor
A Word on Giving
At St. James, giving isn’t a transaction—it’s participation in God’s rhythm of grace.
Every dollar, every prayer, every act of service is a seed of hope.
Some of us learned to tithe early—returning a portion of what we have to God. Others are just beginning to give with intention. Wherever you begin, God meets you there. The goal isn’t the amount—it’s the alignment: trusting that God always provides enough.
Why We GiveWe give because we believe in what God is doing through this church.
Your generosity keeps the doors open for worship, the choir singing for healing, and ministries serving Harlem with dignity.
Tithing is not payment—it’s partnership.
It’s our way of saying: “God, use what I have to build what lasts.”
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse… and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you.” — Malachi 3:10
The Power of Our Giving
St. James is a philanthropy of the people.
Every pledge, every plate offering, every online gift fuels our shared mission—repairing buildings, feeding neighbors, funding scholarships, and sustaining ministries that affirm Black life, LGBTQ+ dignity, and interfaith love.
When the world says philanthropy belongs to the wealthy, we remind it that the Black Church was the first foundation.
Our giving is justice in action--love with receipts.
“All who believed were together and had all things in common.” — Acts 2:44–45
Why It Matters NowHarlem still needs sacred spaces of refuge and rebirth.
Your giving keeps the light of faith shining—for today and for generations to come.
Together, we are proof that love, when shared, still builds what endures.
Reflection· What motivates your giving—gratitude, hope, or love?
· How might generosity bring freedom instead of pressure?
· In what ways does our shared giving make Harlem stronger?
A Prayer for CommitmentLord, take what I have and use it for your glory.
Make my giving a sign of love, my consistency a witness of faith,
and our shared stewardship a testimony of what grace can do. Amen.
Summary:
“At St. James, every gift is grace multiplied—proof that when a community gives together, the world changes.”
“Serving the Kingdom of God for One Hundred and Thirty Years
in the City of New York."
November 16, 2025
The Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
“Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
Order of Service
Prelude RE Oscar Maxwell, III
Opening Reading of the Day Isaiah 12
*Call to Worship RE Andréa Bradford
One: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation, says the prophet.
All: We come thirsty for renewal, ready to rejoice in the God who saves.
One: God is crafting new heavens and a new earth—where weary hearts rise and hope breathes again.
All: Our faith endures. Our love increases. Our giving becomes testimony to grace.
One: Come, let us worship the Living God--
All: The God who sings creation into being and shapes our lives into praise.
Opening Hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” PH 376
Prayer of Adoration RE Andréa Bradford
Holy God, fountain of joy and builder of new worlds, you meet us at the edge of our weariness
and breathe strength back into our bones. You whisper life into dry places, call forth rivers in forgotten deserts, and gather us like a holy people returning home. We praise you for joy that rises like morning light, for mercy that holds steady through the shaking, for love that grows in us like a widening circle of grace. Shape our worship, O God. Let our prayers be living water, our songs be seeds of hope, and our hearts become the ground where your new creation takes root. Amen.
Musical Response “Fill My Cup” PH 350
Call to Confession (Remain Seated) RE Andréa Bradford
Know this, the God who forms new heavens and new earth also reshapes the hidden corners of our hearts. Do not fear honesty for confession is the doorway where grace steps in and courage begins to grow. Trusting the one who renews us, let us come into the presence of mercy.
Confession
Creator of all that is becoming, we confess that we have let fear shrink our faith. We have doubted the dawn even while standing in the first light of your promise. We have held back generosity when you invited us to give with joy. We have clung to what once was instead of leaning into what You are making new. Forgive us, O God. Turn our weariness into wonder, our hesitation into holy hope, our reluctance into love overflowing. Grow in us the faith that endures and the love that keeps increasing for the sake of your world and your name. Amen.
Silent Confession
Musical Response “I Will Do a New Thing” Audrey Byrd
Assurance of Pardon RE Andréa Bradford
Hear this truth that the world cannot shake: the God who births new creation comes to us with mercy in both hands. Christ lifts us, restores us, and strengthens every trembling place within us. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, called to rise in courage, walk in gratitude, and live in the abundance of God’s love. Praise be to God!
Musical Response “There’s A Bright Side Somewhere” Margaret Jenkins
Community Life
Peace of Christ RE Andréa Bradford
Friends, the peace we share is not of our making it is the peace of Christ: gentle enough to calm a storming heart, strong enough to steady us when the world feels unsteady. It is the peace that endures, the peace that keeps us from fear. May this peace of Christ be with you.
And also, with you
Prayer of Illumination
Spirit of the Living God, breathe upon us now. Let Your Word fall like rain on thirsty soil, softening, stirring, awakening. Grow in us the wisdom to hear, the courage to follow, and the love that bears witness to your new creation in our midst. Amen.
Scripture First Reading Isaiah 65.17-25
Second Reading 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13
Gospel Luke 21.5-19
Let the Children Come “Holding On Together When Life Feels Hard”
Special Music “Hold On” African American Spiritual
Sermon “Hold On to One Another: Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen
Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
*Congregational Hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” Elisha A. Hoffman
Postlude
The End of Worship, the Beginning of Service
Sermon Companion Guide
“Hold On to One Another: Faith Growing, Love Increasing”
2 Thessalonians 3:6–13
November 9, 2025 — Stewardship Season, Week Four
Introduction: When Holding On Becomes Holy.
In this fourth week of Stewardship, we enter the heart of our theme: faith that grows, love that increases, and endurance that becomes communal. Week One taught mercy’s humility. Week Two showed love’s wider sight. Week Three invited trust in God’s unfinished work. Now we hear Paul call a weary people back to one another—to resist isolation, to lean on community, to endure together. Stewardship is not merely giving; it is belonging. It is the shared decision to keep building God’s future, even when the world trembles and hope feels thin.
Central Theme
Stewardship as Communal Endurance — Love Increasing Through Testimony
We endure together. We give because God is building a new creation through our connection.
Scriptural Focus
“Do not grow weary in doing what is right.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:13
“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” — Isaiah 65:17
Endurance is not solitary striving—it is shared strength, woven through testimony, compassion, and community care.
Movement I — The Endurance We Share
Theme: Faith becomes strongest when held together.
Intent: To reveal that communal presence is the antidote to spiritual fatigue.
Reflection: Paul’s words have been misused to harm the vulnerable, but in context he is calling a discouraged community back into relationship. What keeps us going is not grit alone but the grace of belonging. Faith grows when we refuse to let anyone hold on alone.
Practice: Name someone whose presence strengthens you. Whisper: “Thank you for holding on with me.”
Movement II — Testimony as Spiritual Offering
Theme: Our stories build one another’s courage.
Intent: To reframe testimony as holy generosity.
Reflection: Your testimony may be the lifeline someone else needs. Not boasting—blessing. Not performance—presence. Every honest story of survival becomes a brick in God’s new creation.
Practice: This week, share one small testimony of how God has carried you.
Movement III — Isaiah’s Vision: God Builds with What Remains
Theme: God does not discard our ruins—God redeems them.
Intent: To help us trust that nothing in our lives is wasted in God’s hands.
Reflection:
Isaiah’s new heaven and new earth do not rise from destruction but from God working tenderly with what survived the storm. The Holy One removes what harms and heals what still holds life. God builds from the remnant, the wisdom, the endurance you carried through.
Practice: Identify a place in your life where “the bones are still good.” Pray: “Holy One, build new life here.”
Movement IV — Prophetic Love in the Face of Injustice
Theme: Endurance becomes resistance when it protects the vulnerable.
Intent: To hear the sermon’s prophetic critique as a call to compassionate action.
Reflection: In a nation where policies ration food and inflate healthcare at the expense of the poor, the church witnesses another way. We refuse cruel theology. We embody God’s justice by choosing compassion, generosity, and collective courage.
Practice: Offer one act of care this week to someone burdened by today’s injustices.
Movement V — Leaning as Strength
Theme: Endurance sometimes looks like resting on God and community.
Intent: To honor vulnerability as sacred trust.
Reflection: “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” invites us to holy surrender. Leaning is not weakness—it is wisdom. It is the faith that rises when strength runs out and community becomes the arms of Christ.
Practice: When you feel weary, breathe these words: “I lean into Your strength.”
Key Quote from the Sermon
“When one of us holds on, all of us hold on; and when all of us hold on--
everything, by God’s grace, will be all right.”
Closing Prayer for Enduring Community
Holy One who holds us together, you gather us when we grow weary and knit us into a community of shared strength. Build in us the courage to endure, the compassion to uplift, and the love that increases through testimony and care. Let our giving—of story, of presence, of hope— become part of Your new creation rising among us. Through Christ, who makes us one. Amen.
St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Ph.D. 2025 ©
Stewardship & Giving at St. James
October 26 – November 23, 2025
Grace Shared · Community Strengthened
Rev. Dr. Derrick McQueen, Pastor
A Word on Giving
At St. James, giving isn’t a transaction—it’s participation in God’s rhythm of grace.
Every dollar, every prayer, every act of service is a seed of hope.
Some of us learned to tithe early—returning a portion of what we have to God. Others are just beginning to give with intention. Wherever you begin, God meets you there. The goal isn’t the amount—it’s the alignment: trusting that God always provides enough.
Why We GiveWe give because we believe in what God is doing through this church.
Your generosity keeps the doors open for worship, the choir singing for healing, and ministries serving Harlem with dignity.
Tithing is not payment—it’s partnership.
It’s our way of saying: “God, use what I have to build what lasts.”
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse… and see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you.” — Malachi 3:10
The Power of Our Giving
St. James is a philanthropy of the people.
Every pledge, every plate offering, every online gift fuels our shared mission—repairing buildings, feeding neighbors, funding scholarships, and sustaining ministries that affirm Black life, LGBTQ+ dignity, and interfaith love.
When the world says philanthropy belongs to the wealthy, we remind it that the Black Church was the first foundation.
Our giving is justice in action--love with receipts.
“All who believed were together and had all things in common.” — Acts 2:44–45
Why It Matters NowHarlem still needs sacred spaces of refuge and rebirth.
Your giving keeps the light of faith shining—for today and for generations to come.
Together, we are proof that love, when shared, still builds what endures.
Reflection· What motivates your giving—gratitude, hope, or love?
· How might generosity bring freedom instead of pressure?
· In what ways does our shared giving make Harlem stronger?
A Prayer for CommitmentLord, take what I have and use it for your glory.
Make my giving a sign of love, my consistency a witness of faith,
and our shared stewardship a testimony of what grace can do. Amen.
Summary:
“At St. James, every gift is grace multiplied—proof that when a community gives together, the world changes.”