Sunday June 7, 2020

PREPARING OUR HEARTS & MINDS FOR WORSHIP:

Take a few minutes to watch this song of lament by Mark Miller.

CANDLE-LIGHTING:

We light this candle as a reminder of God’s presence with us. The candle reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the world, and that Jesus is Lord. And the light also reminds us that we are gathered here as the Church: the church is not “closed” because the church is not a building. We are Christ’s Body, and we have never stopped worshipping, serving, and loving our neighbors. And we welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit as we worship—She is sometimes called the Comforter (and visualized as a dove), but She’s also known as the “Wild Goose” for Her way of disturbing our plans and moving us in new directions. Guide us, Spirit of God. AMEN.

CALL TO WORSHIP:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

HYMN: "How Much Longer" 

PRAYER & LAMENT:

This Sunday we are having a special time of prayer, to lament the violence, pain, and injustice that people of color suffer in our nation. We ask that you pray for compassionate and wise leadership for our country during this time. And we pray that our own compassion and empathy would be awakened, so that we would be willing to truly listen to the voices of our marginalized neighbors and act for justice, healing, and peace. In our words and in our actions we will bear witness to the truth that Black Lives Matter.

*A Lament written by Javier Márquez: This morning we prayed without hiding the pain in our hearts for the death of George Floyd. It hurts every minute that passes without justice, which is an indispensable element of peace. It hurts every minute when we witness that acts of hatred continue killing, polarizing, separating us as brothers and sisters. It hurts every minute we spend in the shadow of impunity. It hurts every minute when we wonder who George Floyd was, who he has left alone, who will never be able to feel his love, his hugs, his words, his looks, his smiles. It hurts every minute also because the Holy Spirit makes us aware that George Floyd’s violent, discouraging and unjust death is in many ways our own death, that the pain of his family and friends is our own pain, that the anger of his community is our own anger, that the hopelessness that we are living in this moment can become ours.

We pray to a Jesus who wept with the sad and suffered with the oppressed. That is why our prayer is also a complaint that claims for true peace, that asks for forgiveness, waiting for days of real and comprehensive reconciliation.

Lament, written by Clara Weybright: God, we lament the damage that our silence in the face of racial violence has done,
for the sins of racism that run through our lives like so many threads in a cloth.
Forgive us for the times we have given in to our discomfort, for the times
we have forgotten our own privilege and failed to stand with our black siblings.
Help those of us who experience white privilege every day remember that, with our privilege,
we are imbued with the responsibility to challenge and hold one another accountable.
Give us the courage to educate ourselves, to listen well,
and to use our voices when it is most needed.

Lament, written by Danilo Sanchez

God of the Oppressed,

Yet again you have been killed by the very people that claim to love you

Yet again your innocent blood has been poured out

How long must your body endure this suffering?

God of Justice,

Yet again we ask you, when will you make all things right? When will you hold accountable the evil doers?

We are tired of waiting! Your people are still dying!

Make your ears deaf to the prayers of those who would say these evil acts are justified

For you are a God who loves justice and will punish the evil doer.

Reconciling God,

We lament we are not your reconciled people

We lament that the love of power has found a place in your church

Forgive us. Heal us. Speak your truth to us. 

 Amen.

Lament, written by Kayla Berkey

“They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14)

Oh Holy One, how long will we grieve death,
how many more breaths will these cycles of violence steal from sacred black lives?

Hear our cries.

We grieve for George Floyd.

We grieve for Breonna Taylor.

We grieve for Tony McDade.

We grieve for Ahmaud Arbery.

We grieve for Dion Johnson.

We grieve for Nina Pop.

We grieve for Sean Reed.

We grieve for each sacred person whose name we have come to know
through the unspeakable grief and injustice of their death.
We shudder at the inhumanity, at how many precious lives have been taken.
We grieve the ache of every person who bears this pain
and holds fear for their lives deeply in their bodies.

We lament the loss of these holy lives.
We lament officers and politicians encouraging, “peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
We lament the absence of justice.

Awaken us to any false declarations of “peace, peace,” that cover over violence.
Awaken us to the violence of this country’s status quo.
Awaken us to the urgency of overturning the tables of injustice.

Awaken us who are white women to the reality of our ongoing history
of complicity with anti-black racism done in our name.
Expose us where we are most deeply shaped by a racist system
so that we can name it in ourselves and never stop working to dismantle it.

Holy Spirit, come with fire that burns away silence and complacency.
Move us beyond saying ‘peace, peace.’
Help us shape our words into stones with weight that we use, in community,
to build the long path to justice, to peace.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Jeremiah 6:14, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

MEDITATION & COMMUNION:  

OFFERINGS:

God's gifts to us are abundant, and in gratitude we offer our hearts and our gifts to God. Offerings may be contributed online here, or can be mailed to the home of our church Treasurer (address in church directory). 

We also invite you to consider contributing to our Mosaic Mennonite Conference Shalom Fund. This fund helps our congregations and ministries respond to members and neighbors in ways that provide support for basic and essential needs. We greatly appreciate your generous support of this ministry. 

HYMN: "Spirit of God" 

SPIRIT OF GOD - VIRTUAL CHOIR - PENTECOST 2020 from Mosaic Mennonite Conference on Vimeo.

 

SENDING BLESSING:

“A Franciscan Benediction”

May God bless us with discomfort 

at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

so that we may live from deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger

at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God’s creations

so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears

to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war

so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them 

and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishness

to believe that we can make a difference in the world,

so that we can do what others claim cannot be done:

bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor.

AMEN. 

*These laments, and several others, can be found at Prayers of lament: Responding to the violence of racism.

Sunday May 31, 2020 Pentecost Sunday

This Sunday we worshipped together with our entire Mennonite Conference, which is now called Mosaic Mennonite Conference. 

Sunday May 24, 2020 Easter 7

During the season of Easter (April 12-May 24) we are doing a series on the “fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5. We suggest doing the PREPARING activity first. Then start the MEDITATION video, which includes the prayers and other parts of the liturgy, so you can participate with each element. Just pause the meditation video for the elements that are included below (HYMNS, OFFERING, etc).

 

PREPARING OUR HEARTS & MINDS FOR WORSHIP:

"By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Read this short article about the Freedom Riders of the civil rights movement. 

How do you see faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control embodied in the lives and actions of the riders? 

CANDLE-LIGHTING:

We light this candle as a reminder of God’s presence with us. The candle reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the world, and that Jesus is Lord. And the light also reminds us that we are gathered here as the Church: the church has never been “closed,” because the church is not a building. We are Christ’s Body, and we have never stopped worshipping, serving, and loving our neighbors. And we welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit, who joins us in our worship time each week. AMEN. 

CALL TO WORSHIP:*

Let us come together with humility.

How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.

Though we may be tempted to use harsh words, let us come together with gentleness.

How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.

Though we may want everything to happen quickly, let us come together with patience.

How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.

Though the world around often encourages hate, let us come together in love.

How good a thing it is when all of God’s people live together in unity.

In humility, gentleness, patience, love, and unity,

let us worship the God who has called us together. 

HYMN: "Great is Thy Faithfulness"

PRAYER TIME:

We are going to create some space for silent reflection and prayer. Feel free to pause the video and pray and meditate as long as you like.

During this time you are invited to offer your prayers to God—whatever prayers and praises you have within you today. We also want to use this time to continue to offer a silent remembrance for the lives that have been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. We remember them and hold them before our God of steadfast love and mercy, even as we seek to honor and benefit the most vulnerable among us.  

Let’s pause now, and silently offer our prayers to God.

Congregational Prayer** and Lord's Prayer: 

Redeeming God, you call us to be one with you, as you are one with Christ. As his perfect love casts out our fear, and changes it to love, unite us by your Spirit of peace, that we may be one with you, as you are one with Christ. 

Spirit of God, bless us with a word of life this day

to restore, support, and strengthen us

as we seek to be one with you. 

Make the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives as we seek to live more like Jesus, who taught us to pray saying…

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours 

now and forever. AMEN.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Galatians 5:22-23; Lamentations 3:22-23; Acts 1:6-11

MEDITATION: 

OFFERINGS:

God's gifts to us are abundant, and in gratitude we offer our hearts and our gifts to God. Offerings may be contributed online here, or can be mailed to the home of our church Treasurer (address in church directory). 

We also invite you to consider contributing to our Mennonite Conference Shalom Fund. This fund helps our congregations and ministries respond to members and neighbors in ways that provide support for basic and essential needs. We greatly appreciate your generous support of this ministry. 

HYMN: "Revive Us, Again"

SENDING BLESSING:

Friends, God cares for each of us. Therefore, cast all anxiety on God, and keep alert, so that we may remain steadfast in faith with Christ, who supports and strengthen us in all things. 

May the abundance of God bless you, the strength of Christ keep you, and the Spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, shine upon you forever.***  

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• Can you name some new things you learned about the fruits of the Spirit this Easter season? 
• What Bible passages help you reflect on the faithfulness of God? How do we reflect God’s faithfulness in the way we live our own lives?
• Why do you think people are sometimes not gentle toward others? When do you personally find it most difficult to exercise gentleness to others, and why?
• How are you a witness of Jesus to your neighbors during the pandemic?

* “Unity,” Words for Worship 2 (Herald Press, 2009), number 17. 

** Adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 1: Advent through Pentecost (168). 

*** Adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 1: Advent through Pentecost (170).

Sunday May 17, 2020 Easter 6

During the season of Easter (April 12-May 24) we are doing a series on the “fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5. We suggest doing the PREPARING activity first. Then start the MEDITATION video, which includes the prayers and other parts of the liturgy, so you can participate with each element. Just pause the meditation video for the elements that are included below (HYMNS, OFFERING, etc).

PREPARING OUR HEARTS & MINDS FOR WORSHIP:

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is…kindness” (Galatians 5:22)

Recently, the country of Ireland sent a significant donation to the Navajo and Hopi Nations for COVID-19 relief. Read the story here

How is kindness embodied here? Are kindness and empathy related?

CANDLE-LIGHTING:

We light this candle as a reminder of God’s presence with us, and to remind us that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. Know that whether we gather together in the same place, or in separate places, that God is here among us too, through the Holy Spirit. AMEN. 

CALL TO WORSHIP:*

Here we are Lord, your church, uncertain, on an ever changing Journey.

Show us your path.

Here we are, longing to know your way.

Guide us to follow you.

Here we are, desiring only your comfort.

Help us to hear your voice.

Here we are, God; lead us according to your will.

HYMN: "I Choose to Worship"

PRAYER TIME:

We are going to create some space for silent reflection and prayer. Feel free to pause the video and pray and meditate as long as you like.

During this time you are invited to offer your prayers to God—whatever prayers and praises you have within you today. We also want to use this time to continue to offer a silent remembrance for the lives that have been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each life is precious. And we also bear witness to those who are especially vulnerable because of destructive economic and social policies: Black and Brown communities, farm workers, those who are in prison, families in immigrant detention centers, Native American nations, and fellow citizens in Puerto Rico—all of whom are people created in the image of God. We remember them and hold them before our God of steadfast love and mercy, even as we seek to honor and benefit the most vulnerable among us.  

Let’s pause now, and silently offer our prayers to God. 

Congregational Prayer** and Lord's Prayer: Loving God, in whom we live and move and have our being, help us to choose life in you, that we may keep the commands of Jesus, follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and witness to the hope that is within us, sharing Christ’s love in the world. 

Make the fruit of the Spirit grow in our lives as we seek to live more like Jesus, who taught us to pray saying…

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours 

now and forever. AMEN.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Galatians 5:22-23; Micah 6:8, Proverbs 14:21,31

MEDITATION:

 OFFERINGS:

God's gifts to us are abundant, and in gratitude we offer our hearts and our gifts to God. Offerings may be contributed online here, or can be mailed to the home of our church Treasurer (address in church directory). 

We also invite you to consider contributing to our Mennonite Conference Shalom Fund. This fund helps our congregations and ministries respond to members and neighbors in ways that provide support for basic and essential needs. We greatly appreciate your generous support of this ministry. 

HYMN: "All Creatures of Our God and King"

SENDING BLESSING:

May the God who creates, redeems, and sustains us keep you in steadfast faith and hope, and abounding in love. Go with God’s blessing and peace into this new day—to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. AMEN.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

• This passage about the fruits of the Spirit begins with “By contrast…” (v.22). How is kindness a contrast to other behaviors that people might display? 
• Look at Micah 6:8 again. The prophet summarizes God’s requirements down to 3. Are you surprised that kindness is included? What do you think that says about God’s view of kindness? 
• Have you ever done any “random acts of kindness”? Who benefited from this action? 
• Make a quick Kindness journal entry: try to think of the last 5 kind things someone did for you. How do you feel after thinking about these?

* “In the midst of uncertain times,” Words for Worship 2 (Herald Press, 2009), 19.

** Adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 1: Advent through Pentecost (135).

Sunday May 10, 2020 Easter 5

During the season of Easter (April 12-May 24) we are doing a series on the “fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5.

We suggest doing the PREPARING activity first. Then start the MEDITATION video, which includes the prayers and other parts of the liturgy, so you can participate with each element. Just pause the meditation video for the elements that are included below (HYMNS, OFFERING, etc).

 

PREPARING OUR HEARTS & MINDS FOR WORSHIP:  

“God grant me the wisdom of patience. Let me see clearly this day the difference between patience and cowardice, between patience and fear, between patience and weakness. At my moments of confusion, give me the insight needful for Thy purpose in me. Teach me that my fear of impatience may be a mere indulgence. There are some things in the presence of which I dare not be patient lest they destroy and render evil even the good intent and the holy will. God grant me the wisdom of patience.”

-Rev. Dr. Howard Thurman

("The Wisdom of Patience," Meditations of the Heart, 178)

CANDLE-LIGHTING:

We light this candle as a reminder of God’s presence with us, and to remind us that Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. Know that whether we gather together in the same place, or in separate places, that God is here among us too, through the Holy Spirit. AMEN. 

CALL TO WORSHIP:

Source of all hope and holiness,

we gather this morning to be church.

Bless those who are absent, but not from our hearts.

Bless all of us who are physically distant, but not from your love. 

Bless each of us who gather, that we may

  choose justice by your Spirit

  draw kindness from the well of your mercy,

  and walk humbly in your path, O God. AMEN.*

HYMN: "Love > Fear" by The Many

PRAYER TIME:

Let us unite our hearts in prayer, saying, God of resurrection, hear our prayer.**  

For the church throughout the world, that all who profess to honor the risen Lord may be faithful in their witness and courageous in their testimony to the way of Jesus; God of resurrection, hear our prayer. 

For the governments of the world and its leaders, that the nations may dwell in peace, and that good will prevail over strife, God of resurrection, hear our prayer.

For rain and sun in proper measure, and for abundant food and water for all who dwell upon the earth, God of resurrection, hear our prayer.

For the sick and those in need, and for any who are oppressed by wounds of the soul; and for all whom we have named in our prayer chain this week, God of resurrection, hear our prayer.

For our neighbors that we may live together in amity, and that strangers among us may find us to be hospitable friends, God of resurrection, hear our prayer.

Almighty God, your Son promised to grant whatever we ask in his name. By your Holy Spirit empower us to minister to the world as his faithful disciples, that our work may testify to what we pray, and show forth your eternal glory, through Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray saying…

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 

your kingdom come, your will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours 

now and forever. AMEN.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Galatians 5:22-23, Exodus 34:6

MEDITATION:

OFFERINGS:

God's gifts to us are abundant, and in gratitude we offer our hearts and our gifts to God. Offerings may be contributed online here, or can be mailed to the home of our church Treasurer (address in church directory). 

We also invite you to consider contributing to our Mennonite Conference Shalom Fund. This fund helps our congregations and ministries respond to members and neighbors in ways that provide support for basic and essential needs. We greatly appreciate your generous support of this ministry. 

HYMN: "I Believe" performed by the Dock Mennonite Academy Touring Choir

SENDING BLESSING: We will close with a prayer today titled, “We are People of Courage”, by Barbara Glasson and Ale De La Torre. They created this as a prayer for the people of God in a time of coronavirus. Let’s pray it together…

We are not people of fear:

We are people of courage.

We are not people who protect our own safety:

we are people who protect our neighbors’ safety.

We are not people of greed:

we are people of generosity.

We are your people God,

giving and loving,

wherever we are,

whatever it costs

For as long as it takes
wherever you call us.

AMEN. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: 

This passage about the fruits of the Spirit begins with “By contrast…” (v.22). How is patience a contrast to other behaviors that people might display? 

How is God patient? How have you experienced God’s patience? 

In what ways do other people have to be patient with me? 

Can you think of some examples of people who have shown (or are showing) great patience in the face of injustice or suffering?

*Adapted from Sing the Journey, number 122. 

 ** Adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 1: Advent through Pentecost (154).