Bulletin – Sunday, June 28, 2020

Sunday, June 28, 2020

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

This flickering light atop this candle is the light of Christ in our midst! Filled with this light, Jesus calls us to shine our own light to the world, offering a place for all.

(adapted from Jami Francis, Gathering, Pentecost, 1 2020, page 33)

Call to Worship

Come.
Come softly.

Come singing.
Come in sorrow and in joy.

Come prayer-filled and in wonder.
Come now.

Come worship, you, whom God has made for love.
We come offering love and welcome to all in this community.

(adapted from Peter Chynoweth, Gathering, Pentecost, 1 2020, page 33)

Hymn – “The House of Our God”

The house of our God is not just for the holy,
The house of our God is not just for the wise;
Come and be one with the common and lowly
Who wait with the hunger for God in their eyes.

So welcome, welcome each other,
The old and the youthful, the fit and the faint;
Welcome sister and brother,
Welcome the seeker, the sinner,
The saint.

The table of God is not just for the certain,
The bread and the cup are not just for the pure;
The cross of the Christ has torn back the curtain,
The temple thrown open for the searching and sure.

So welcome, welcome each other,
The old and the youthful, the fit and the faint;
Welcome sister and brother,
Welcome the seeker, the sinner,
The saint.

The household of God is not just for the wealthy,
The safe and the settled, the well-placed and known;
The people of God know the struggle is healthy,
And conflict is better than calm all alone.

So welcome, welcome each other,
The old and the youthful, the fit and the faint;
Welcome sister and brother,
Welcome the seeker, the sinner,
The saint.

The work of our God is not just for the clever
The service of God is not just for the strong;
The way of the cross is a journey forever,
So gather to pray, then we’ll travel along.

So welcome, welcome each other,
The old and the youthful, the fit and the faint;
Welcome sister and brother,
Welcome the seeker, the sinner,
The saint.

Prayer

Jesus you have declared that if any of us would come after you, we must take up our cross and follow you. As we worship together today, help us to understand what you are calling us to do and to be so that we might follow you in faithfulness and carry our cross with love.

We so often chose the easy way, God of Inspiration. When you challenge us to truly follow you in the way we find reasons why we can’t, it is too difficult, it is not the right time, we have more pressing matters in our life.

Help us to know that when we do lift up our crosses and follow you, you have promised that your yoke will be easy. Help us to truly follow and be the people that you call us to be in the world. Amen.

(adapted from Kate Crawford, Gathering, Pentecost, 1 2020, page 36)

Words of Assurance

Time for All Ages

Hymn – “Come, Now, You Blessed” “

Come, now, you blessed, eat at my table,”
Said the great judge to the righteous above.
“When I was hungry, thirsty and homeless,
Sick and in prison you showed me your love.”

“When did we see you hungry and thirsty?
When were you homeless, a stranger alone?
When did we see you sick and in prison?
What have we done that you call us your own?”

“When you gave bread to earth’s hungry children,
When you gave welcome to war’s refugees,
When you remember those most forgotten,
You cared for me in the smallest of these.”

Christ, when we meet you out on life’s roadways,
Looking to us in the faces of need,
Then may we know you, welcome, and show you
Love that is faithful in word and in deed.

The Word

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 10:40-42 and 25:34-45

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “To Truly Offer Welcome”

Hymn – “Draw the Circle Wide”

Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side,
Draw the circle wide.

God the still-point of the circle,
‘Round whom all creation turns;
Nothing lost, but held forever,
In God’s gracious arms.

Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side,
Draw the circle wide.

Let our hearts touch far horizons,
So encompass great and small;
Let our loving know no borders,
Faithful to God’s call.

Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side,
Draw the circle wide.

Let the dreams we dream be larger
Than we’ve ever dreamed before;
Let the dream of Christ be in us,
Open every door.

Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side,
Draw the circle wide.

The Response

Prayer

We join our hearts together today as we offer our prayers of intercession and concern for all those in need. Let us remember those who suffer from illness, from the pain of memory, from torture, from victimization, especially those hurt by the church or its members…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who are outcast, or in prison, or oppressed…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who are hungry, or homeless, or poor, and those who are unemployed, or exploited…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the coming of justice in the world, offering what we have and receiving what we nee of the earth’s beauty…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for peace that is a just reconciliation…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the earth on which we walk and to which we will one day return…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

And let us pray for those in this community whom we hope feel the comforting presence of God in their lives as we trust in God’s wisdom and compassion…
Loving God, hear our prayer.

Be with us as we continue to pray in the words that Jesus taught us:
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Hymn – “Called as Partners in Christ’s Service”

Called as partners in Christ’s service,
Called to ministries of grace,
We respond with deep commitment
Fresh new lines of faith to trace.

May we learn the art of sharing,
Side by side and friend with friend,
Equal partners in our caring
To fulfill God’s chosen end.

Christ’s example, Christ’s inspiring,
Christ’s clear call to work and worth,
Let us follow, never faltering,
Reconciling folk on earth.

Men and women, richer, poorer,
All God’s people, young and old,
Blending human skills together
Gracious gifts from God unfold.

So, God grant us for tomorrow
Ways to order human life
That surround each person’s sorrow
With a calm that conquers strife.

Makes us partners in our living,
Our compassion to increase,
Messengers of faith, thus giving
Hope and confidence and peace.

Benediction

Jesus has met us in worship this morning. We now go forth to meet Jesus in those we encounter each day.

God’s grace has enfolded us in worship this morning. We go forth to proclaim that grace in all that we say and do.

The Spirit has guided us in worship this morning. We go forth in that Spirit ready to live into our call as God’s people.

Response – “Send Us Out”

Send us out in the power of Your Spirit, Lord,
May our lives bring Jesus to the world.
May each thought and word bring glory to Your name,
Send us out in Your Spirit, Lord, we pray.