Bulletin – May 22, 2022 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

Sunday, May 22, 2022
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

God of strength and compassion, you call us to righteousness, you call us to reach out to others with justice and mercy. In the shadow of that grace, we are called to offer compassion and mercy to others. We light this candle today to remind us that you are with us this day and every day, and that we may serve you forevermore. Amen.

Call to Worship

One:   With all our strengths and all our weaknesses, we come to worship.
All:      With excitement and energy or with aging aching bodies, we come to worship.

One:   With strong vibrant faith unafraid to question or with hesitation and uncertainty, we come to worship.
All:      With eager laughter and joy or with painful whispered prayers, we come to worship.

One:   Filled with saintly determination or deeply aware of our human failings, we come to worship.
All:      Made strong by the promise of unending love and gracious acceptance, we come to worship the One whose love calls us here.

Hymn – “Come to My Heart”

Come to my heart, Lord Jesus; teach me to walk in your way.
Come to my heart, Lord Jesus; come to my heart today.
Give me the peace and joy that only you can bring.
Come to my heart, Lord Jesus; give me a song to sing.

Fill me with love, Lord Jesus; teach me to walk in your way.
Fill me with love, Lord Jesus; fill me with love today.
Give me the peace and joy that only you can bring.
Come to my heart, Lord Jesus; give me a song to sing.

Answer my prayer, Lord Jesus; teach me to walk in your way.
Answer my prayer, Lord Jesus; answer my prayer today.
Give me the peace and joy that only you can bring.
Come to my heart, Lord Jesus; give me a song to sing.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

God, you have called us into a whole-hearted relationship with you. You’ve asked us to leave behind all we possess and live out our faith with passion and integrity. We thank you for the deep love you have shown toward us.

Forgive us when we take our relationship with you for granted, when we let the fire of our early commitment cool and allow other things to take priority in our lives. Give us strength to hold on to you no matter what comes our way. Give us courage to wrestle honestly with the things we don’t understand; to continually work out our salvation with fear and trembling, to grapple daily with what it means to faithfully follow you.

We are your people, chosen and named by you. Grant us your continued blessing and mark us with your love, as we seek to live as your disciples in the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Words of Assurance

Response – “How Deep the Peace”

How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose wrongs are forgiven.
How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose hearts are healed.

Time for All ages

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Genesis 32:3-21

³ Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, ⁴ instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have lived with Laban as an alien, and stayed until now; ⁵ and I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”

⁶ The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” ⁷ Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, ⁸ thinking, “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company that is left will escape.”

⁹ And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good ¹⁰ I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. ¹¹ Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him; he may come and kill us all, the mothers with the children. ¹² Yet you have said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted because of their number.’”

¹³ So he spent that night there, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau, ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ¹⁵ thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ¹⁶ These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between drove and drove.” ¹⁷ He instructed the foremost, “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you? ¹⁸ then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’” ¹⁹ He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, ²⁰ and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” ²¹ So the present passed on ahead of him; and he himself spent that night in the camp.

Scripture Reading:           1 John 1:8-10

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

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

Meditation – “To Forgive and Forget”

Anthem – “I Will Love the Lord”

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   Diving One, as we think about our world today and our own place in it, we are deeply aware of our need for your love, your guidance, and your grace. And so we bring before you, our prayers for this world in which we live.

One:   We pray for a world filled with people crying out to feel loved, wanted, cherished, and unique. Remind us that just as we are loved and cherished, we must also love and cherish others…

One:   We pray for a world torn apart by conflict and war, a world that lives uneasily in a climate of fear with no clear vision for future days. We are especially aware of the fear and uncertainty brought on by the worldwide pandemic. It becomes easy for us to look around and blame others for the severity of the pandemic and to accuse others of being short-sighted and uncaring in their response. Remind us that it is only our own reaction that we can control and help us to see beyond the present situation with openness and hope to whatever may lay ahead…

One:   We pray for a world that often thinks less of others than of self, a world where the division between nations, race, religion, neighbour, and family leads to distrust, a world where economic considerations are often given precedence over concerns of health, safety, and care for the most vulnerable of people. Remind us that we are all part of the same creation and that everyone, no matter what their situation, matters…

One:   We pray for a world that is so often short-sighted, too busy to enjoy this world you have created, too preoccupied with living to appreciate life. Remind us that as human beings we are only one part of your creation. Remind us that we have a responsibility to appreciate and to care for all that has been created…

One:   We pray for a world where spiritual longing is often ignored or temporarily satisfied by passing gads, popular ideals, and empty self-gratification, where all that seems to matter is the current moment and no thought is given for tomorrow. Guide us to the deeper peace that we can only find by opening ourselves to your Divine presence with us and within us…

One:   We pray for those who are lost and lonely, those who are struggling with grief and loss. We offer up to you today those in this community whom we hope will feel you in their lives today…

One:   We pray for a world that needs to know your love, your hope, your peace, and your joy, a world that needs to know it is special, unique, and uniquely loved by the Wondrous Divine Mystery, to whom offer this prayer. Amen.

(adapted from Beacon United Church, July 12, 2020)

Hymn – “We are Pilgrims”

We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow travelers on the road;
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

Sister, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night-time of your hear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey through.

Benediction

As we go into this week let us remember that our strength lies in the strength of God. Let us remember that as we are called to be a part of the whole body of Christ our spiritual strength helps not only ourselves but the whole world.

Response

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days.