Welcome to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church 

Where the love of Christ builds a harbor of acceptance, inspiration, 

Fellowship, service and joy. 

You enrich our worship with your presence. 

"When we say welcome we mean it!"

Sound Recording only - Podcast

It is not possible to pass the collection plate at our live home church.

  We do need your contributions.  Please sent your check, made out to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church to:

Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church

c/o Monty Rice

1298 Warren Rd.

Cambria, CA 93428

 If this is your first time here, WELCOME. 

If you have a prayer request, please send to:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church-PCUSA 

2700 Eton Rd. • Cambria, CA 93428 

Call or text 805.395.1521 

Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. website: www.safeharborcambria.org 

The Gathering
At the tolling of the bell, please quietly prepare your heart for worship.

Meditation Music Deborah Farrand
Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship Inspired by Acts 3
(In unison) God has fulfilled what he foretold through the prophets. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified Jesus. He was disowned and killed, but God raised him. God raised the author of life from the dead. The name and power of Jesus brings us here. It is faith that refreshes us. It is the healing of salvation that we seek. Father, Risen Son, and Holy Spirit we come to worship.

Prayer of Adoration
(In unison) God of all creation, you are the promise of our life. You give us breath, you are the answer to divine mystery, you light our path. Loving God, you hold us from birth to forever. You hear our crying, you know our hopes, with you we are never alone. All powerful Lord, you have planted seeds of hope, and eternal peace in our hearts. Our hearts are grateful and we give our lives to you. Almighty God, we love and adore you. Amen.

Hymn of Praise # 250 In the Bulb There is a Flower

Prayer of Confession
(In unison) We acknowledge that we have been lavished with such love that we are called children of God. If the world is to know you, if the world is to follow the Christ, we must live and act in a way to radiate your Grace. Lord, help us to examine our hearts now; do we live to show your justice and mercy? Do we do things Jesus’ way? Do we have an obedience to you that overrides our habits? Do we love you enough to withstand pain and suffering? Please hear our silent meditations…
(In unison) In the name of, and for the love of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon New Creations in Christ

The Sharing of the Peace

The Word

Hymn of Preparation #452 Open the Eyes of My Heart

Leader: Listen for the Word of God.
People: Our ears are open and our hearts are ready to receive.

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

Sermon: The Holiest Word Rev. Eugenia Gamble

Hymn of Response #465 What a Friend We Have in Jesus

The Prayers

Call to Prayer: Hymn # 466 Come and Fill Our Hearts with Your Peace

Prayers of the People
The Lord’s Prayer

Response to Prayer # 710 We Are an Offering

Prayer of Dedication

The Sending

† Hymn of Parting # 464 Our Father, Which Art in Heaven
† Charge and Benediction

Musical Response Go With Us, Lord
Go with us, Lord, and guide the way, through this and every coming day;
That in your Spirit strong and true, our lives may be our gift to you.

After the service, please join Pastor Eugenia for her weekly “check-in” time.

CURRENT PRAYER LIST 

Members of our community that are lonely, hungry and sick.

If you would like to support the work of Safe Harbor Church financially: 

Tax deductible checks may be made to Safe Harbor Presbyterian Church. 

During our period of isolation, please mail checks to: 

Monty Rice 1298 Warren Road Cambria CA 93428 

WHEN WE SAY “ WELCOME! ”, WE MEAN IT! 

 Lord Teach Us to Pray…Luke 11:1-13….April 18, 2021

Luke 11:1He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” 5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Background: Jesus’ teaching on prayer (the basis of the Lord’s Prayer as it is used today) appears in two different versions in the New Testament. The two have some very striking differences. These differences are enough to lead some scholars to conclude that the two Gospel writers were working from different sources. Matthew places his version in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke locates his in the midst of Jesus’ travel narrative. What is clear, despite the differences, is that Jesus’ disciples want to learn how they can pray in a distinctively ‘Jesus’ kind of way. It was common for rabbis to create special prayers that all their disciples prayed together. In Luke’s version, his disciples cite just such a prayer that was common to the disciples of John the Baptist. A part of this longing is to have the same kind of communion with God that Jesus has.

Structure: Matthew gives us a lengthier version. Its poetic language appears to have developed for worship. Luke’s more sparse language may also have been used in worship but likely was understood as a kind of outline upon which to hang both personal and communal prayer. It was like talking points listed to be certain that the main themes of communion with God were not neglected in prayer.

Variants: Many of the most ancient manuscripts contain variations in wording, especially in Luke. In verse 1, some manuscripts read ‘Our Father in heaven.’ Others read, ‘Your Holy Spirit come upon us and cleanse us.’ Still others read, ‘Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.’ The majority of the oldest texts of Luke read as translated above in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Luke 11:5-13: In these verses, Jesus gives his disciples’ some examples to make his point about prayer and how reliable God is in that sacred relationship. The norms for hospitality in Jesus’ time were well known and sacred. If someone came to your house asking for help no matter how inconvenient, if it was in your power to offer aid, it was a moral requirement to do so. Even if it was not in one’s power, it was morally incumbent on the one asked to try to find aid elsewhere. This social agreements held the society together and fostered an understanding that all were in need if any were in need and that everything was gift from God to be shared lavishly on those in need. Here Jesus compares God to the one who is morally bound to meet need.

Word Study for Luke 11:1-13

V. 1 – One day – Jesus sets his teaching on prayer in the midst of his travel narrative. He has set aside time for personal prayer. Obviously his disciples see the depth of his prayer and they want to be able to pray like he does.
       John taught his disciples – Apparently, John had taught his disciples a prayer that was distinctive to his following. Jesus’ friends want to have something similar.
v.2 – when you pray – this construction in Greek indicates frequent repetition.
       Father – Abba – An Aramaic word like Papa. It indicates deep intimacy and connectedness as well as respect. The word appears 11 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, never in prayer. It appears 170 times in the New Testament, always in the context of prayer. This word is not about the gender of God, as we know that God is not gendered. It indicates the type of relationship Jesus had with God and that we, through Christ, now have as well.

       Hallowed – this phrase expresses the concern that God’s name be kept sacred. This was a common theme in Jewish prayer.

       Your kingdom – does not refer to a place. It is a state of being in which all of life is ruled by God.

V. 3 – bread – (artos) refers to food in general. (The phrase in Greek is quite difficult. A literal translation might be something like, ‘Our bread, the daily, keep giving to us each day.’ The word for daily can also be translated as ‘for tomorrow’. It can also mean sufficient or necessary. The point regardless is that provision comes from God.

V 4. – forgive us our sins – is in an interesting tense. It indicates a once and for all event.
       Sins – the common word for sin is used here rather than the Jewish idiom that means ‘debts.’
       And do not bring us to the time of trial – the word means ‘testing’. This is not to indicate that God would somehow lead us down the primrose path. We don’t need any help with that! The plea is for God to keep us from falling away during the time of trials.

Vs. lend – this word implies a kind of reciprocity. It’s not a gift but a function of an ongoing relationship. The lender may need the help of the asker at some point and can expect that it will be provided.

Vs. 8 - get up - This is a multifaceted word. It means to rise from a sitting or prone position. It is also the word used for the resurrection. It is also used to refer to rising from spiritual death.

       Persistence – This is a fascinating word choice. It usually means recklessness, audacity, shamelessness, disregarding of restraints or imprudent in relationships.
Vs. 9 – Ask – This word usually means to ask or to beg (like for alms). It is used by someone of lower status to someone of higher status. In this context of prayer, it implies coming to God as a person who knows he or she cannot achieve what is needed apart from the generosity of God. The tense here refers to asking once and then continuing to ask.

Vs. 10 – finds – This is the word for discovering something after a diligent search.

Vs. 13 – evil – This is the word for evil in a moral or spiritual sense. It is a malicious kind of evil that arises out of disregard for good.

       Know – to perceive with the outward senses and then understand.

       Gift – This is a word that emphasizes the good character of the gift apart from that of the giver.

       Father – this word usually refers to a human father. When applied to God it implies being both a progenitor and a provider. The word is used for the beginner of something. It was sometimes used of a person who led another to faith.

Questions for Personal Reflection

1. When was the first time you remember hearing the Lord’s Prayer? Do you remember any thoughts or feelings about the prayer before it became habitual for you?
   2. Pretend, if you can, that you have never heard this prayer before. What are the words that stand out to you? Why do you think they do? Are there words or phrases that are confusing or frightening?
   3. What is the role of prayer in your life? How do you most often pray? Do you use words or actions? When do you most often pray? What is the experience of communal prayer like for you?
   4. Following the gift of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus gives some examples to help his followers trust that God is faithful to us in prayer. Can you think of experiences you have had of God’s faithfulness to you in prayer? Not just when you got what you wanted, but perhaps when you didn’t, or along the journey.
   5. Prayer is a journey lived in a trustworthy relationship. It is intended to grow and deepen over time. Can you identify ways that your prayer life has grown over time?