Bulletin – February 6, 2022 (Fifth Sunday after Epiphany / Communion)

Sunday, February 6, 2022
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Communion

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

We light this candle this morning to remind us of Christ with us. Reminding us that we are called to bring this light to others, we are called to bring this light out in the world, the light of God’s love, mercy, compassion, justice, and forgiveness. We are called. Will we answer that call?

Response

Many are the lightbeams from the one light.
Our one light is Jesus.
Many are the lightbeams from the one light;
We are one in Christ.

Call to Worship

One:   To God,
All:      I will sing.

One:   Passionately. Unapologetically. Free
All:      I will sing.

One:   For You, Spirit, are here. All the time.
All:      I will sing.

One:   As time flows in the endless cycle of the cosmos, as this morning’s dawn rakes across the horizon of deep darkness,
All:      I will sing.

One:   As the green blade rises from the root of all life, as life emerges from the dark mystery of Mother’s womb,
All:      I will sing.

One:   As I try to hold onto you, you dance well beyond my reach. As I call, your name answers from the foundation of my being.
All:      I will sing. From my whole heart I will sing your praise,

One:   for we are the work of your hands.
All:      Let us worship.

Hymn – “A Voice is Heard”

Come, let us praise our God, come let us sing for joy,
With a heart of thanks we give honour.
You are a might God, you are the source of life.
Creator God, we give praise.

From the deepest seas – a voice is heard.
From the highest hills – a voice is heard.
From the rich dark earth – a voice is heard.
All creation sings! God is heard!

Come, let us praise our God, come let us sing for joy,
With a heart of thanks we give honour.
You are a mighty God, you are the source of life.
Creator God, we give praise.

Through the darkest night – a voice is heard.
Through the breaking dawn – a voice is heard.
Through the heart of life – a voice is heard.
All creation sings! God is heard!

Come, let us praise our God, come let us sing for joy,
With a heart of thanks we give honour.
You are a mighty God, you are the source of life.
Creator God, we give praise.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Holy One and One in three, the chickadee sings and the chickadee knows you, in whose glory life is bestowed. Spirit God, the gale wind unsettles and the gale wind knows you, in whose breath life is bestowed, Living God, the mustard seed sprouts and the mustard seed knows you, in whose kin-dom life is bestowed. Enduring God, the oak tree rises, the oak tree knows you, in whose care life is bestowed.

God with us, the children see and the children know you, in whose mystery life is bestowed. In the works of our hands, may we also show that written on our hearts, your name lives and your name grows. Eternal and Ever Present One, you are beyond us and before us. You are as familiar as the palm of our hand and beyond our complete understanding.

Forgive us when instead of leaning into your wild ways, we limit one another through tamer imitations of life. Forgive our need to confine and control our human siblings into prisons we have made for one another: worthy/worthless, insider/outsider, saved/damned. Liberating Spirit, unsettle us with your extreme grace, that we would venture into the wilds of your redeeming and reconciling love, trusting the mystery that will always be both within and beyond us. In Christ’s name, we ask it.  Amen. 

Words of Assurance

Hymn – “Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult”

Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult of our life’s wild restless sea,
Day by day his clear voice sounding, saying, “Christian, follow me.”

Long ago apostles heard it by the Galilean lake,
Turned from home and toil and kindred, leaving all for Jesus’ sake.

Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world’s golden store.
From each idol that would keep us, saying, “Christian, love me more.”

In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and hours of ease,
Still he calls, in cares and pleasures, “Christian, love me more than these.”

Jesus calls us: by your mercies, Saviour, may we hear your call,
Give our hearts to your obedience, serve and love you best of all.

Time for All Ages

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Psalm 138

¹ I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; ² I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. ³ On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.

⁴ All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth. ⁵ They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. ⁶ For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. ⁸ The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Scripture Reading:           Luke 5:1-11

¹ Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ² he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷ So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” ¹¹ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

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

Anthem – “Jesus Saw Them Fishing”

Meditation – “The Courage to Say “Yes””

Anthem – “May We Rise”

The Response

Communion

One:   The Spirit of God be with you all.
All:      And also with you.

One:   Lift up your hearts;
All:      We lift them up to God.

One:   Give thanks to our God!
All:      All our thanks, all our praise!

One:   Holy God, Holy One, Holy Three!

Before all that is, You were God. Outside all we know, You are God. After all is finished, You will be God. Archangels sound the trumpets, angels teach us their song, saints pull us into your presence.

And this is our song:
Holy, Holy, Holy God, our life, our mercy, our might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Save us, we pray, you beyond all. Blest is the One who comes in your name. Save us, we pray, you beyond all.

Holy God, Holy One, Holy Three!

You beyond the galaxies, You under the oceans, You inside the leaves, You pouring down rain, You opening the flowers, You feeding the insects, You giving us your image, You carrying us through the waters, You holding us in the night.

You smile on Sarah and Abraham, Your hands with Moses and Miriam, Your words through Deborah and Isaiah, You lived as Jesus among us, healing, teaching, dying, rising, inviting us all to your feast.

In the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying; take eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Again, after supper he took the cup, gave you thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Holy God, we remember your Son.

His life with the humble, his death among the wretched, his resurrection for us all: Your wisdom our guide, Your justice our strength, Your grace our path to rebirth.

One:   And so we cry, Mercy:
All:      Mercy!

One:   And so we cry, Glory:
All:      Glory!

One:   And so we cry, Blessing:
All:      Blessing!

One:   Holy God, we beg for your Spirit. We pray that your Spirit will comfort those we lift up to you this day…

Enliven this bread, awaken this body, pour us out for each other. Transfigure our minds, ignite your church, nourish the life of the earth. Make us, while many, united, make us, though broken, whole, make us despite death, alive.

One:   And so we cry, Come, Holy Spirit:
All:      Come, Holy Spirit!

One:   And the church shouts out, Come, Holy Spirit:
All:      Come, Holy Spirit!

One:   And so the earth pleads, Come, Holy Spirit:
All:      Come, Holy Spirit!

One:   You, Holy God, Holy One, Holy Three.

One:   Our Life, our Mercy, our Might, our Table, our Food, our Server, our Rainbow, our Ark, our Dove, our Sovereign, our Water, our Wine, our Light, our Treasure, our Tree, our Way, our Truth, our Life. We humbly come to you this day as we come to your table.

Prayer after Sharing

One:   You, Holy God, Holy One, Holy Three! We continue to offer our praise now, our praise tomorrow, our praise forever, We have been nourished at your table, renewed, our souls awaken to your presence in our lives and so we cry, Amen:
All:      Amen!

Hymn – “We Will Follow”

Som’landela, som’landel’ U Jesu.
Som’landela yonke indawo.
Som’landela, som’landel’ U Jesu.
Lapho Eyakhona som’landela.

We will follow, we will follow Jesus.
We will follow everywhere he goes.
We will follow, we will follow Jesus.
Everywhere he goes, we will follow.

Benediction

Rise. Rise in the glory of the One who calls you and I to be church, to be the living echo of the first Word, to be enduring love made flesh, to be committed with our whole heart, a living testament of generous love and justice come on earth. In the works of our hands, in the song that fills our lungs, in the praise that carries us home, rise! We rise in the glory of the one who call us to be the church.

May the Creator uphold you. May the Redeemer restore you. May the Sustainer release you. And through this blessed grace, may you share the Good News of life, poured out for everyone and everything. Everywhere. Amen.

Response

Lead me, Lord, I will follow.
Lead me, Lord, I will go.
You have called me. I will answer.
Lead me, Lord, I will go.