Bulletin – Sunday June 7, 2020

Sunday, June 7, 2020
Pride Sunday / Communion

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

Call to Worship

God, the Creator, is with us this day.
And so we gather in the name of the one who made the sun and the moon, the One who made the oceans’ waves and the prairie wind. The One, who made each of us, and who calls us to this place just as we are.

Sung:

Though I may speak with bravest fire,
And have the gift to all inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain,
As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Christ, the One who taught of a along God, is with us this day.
And it is in the shelter of God’s love that we gather. May this time be one brushed with hope, peace, and acceptance. As we celebrate this Affirming Ministry Sunday, we gather knowing that it is in celebrating our great diversity that God’s love is most clearly known.

Sung:

Though I may give all I possess,
And striving so my love profess,
But not be given by love within,
The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Spirit, the Power that binds us together in perfect harmony, is with us this day.
All bound by the love of God we rejoice and lift our prayers. For here, though we are all so very different, we are united, we belong, we may find the space our souls need to rest in the Creator and sing out to the Holy One.

Sung:

Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
By this we worship, and are freed.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Creating God, radiant with Grace; every part of creation sings to your glory. We come today with open hearts of bring peace and healing to all people.

Creating God, Love Divine, we come today with open hearts to provide and protect all children of the earth. Creating God, Spirit of Life, we come today with open hearts to respect the earth, and all the gifts of the earth.

Creating God, we come today with open hearts to end exclusion, violence, and fear among all. Creating God, we come to worship you.

Creating God, who has always created and is always creating we come to you today in our brokenness. We are surrounded by the wonders of your creation; and yet we confess that we often lose sight of these wonders.

We forget to recognize your presence in the world today and in our lives. We confess that we don’t see you in all of creation. We recognize that we don’t always treat others as we wish to be treated, even those within our own community. We confess that sometimes our own pain colours the way we view others.

We confess that we see that there are many lost in the world today, but are so concerned with our own lives that we don’t make time for others. We confess that we need your guidance and presence in our lives in the in the world.

Creating God, thank you for your patience as we lose our way; we know that you are always there waiting for us. We pray in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Hymn – “We Are One”

We are one as we come, as we come, joyful to be here.
In the praise on our lips there’s a sense that God is near.
We are one as we sing, as we seek, we are found;
And we come needful of God’s grace as we meet, together in this place.

We are one as we share, as we share brokenness and fear,
In a breath and a prayer, there’s a sense that God is here.
We are one as we care, as we heal, we are healed;
And we share warmth in God’s embrace as we pray together in this place.

We are one as we feast, as we feast, peace becomes the sign;
In the bread and the cup there’s a sense of love divine.
We are one as we come, as we feed, we are fed;
And we feel God’s refreshing grace as we meet at table in this place.

Time for All Ages

The Word

Scripture Readings:

Psalm 139:1-18
Ruth 1:14-18

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

Meditation – “Love Beyond Measure”

The Response

Communion

May the God of Creation be with us all; God has been here since the beginning and will be here until the end. In our brokenness we come before you; our hearts are opened to your presence of healing. We praise the creator for all we have been given; it is good to praise God our creator.

God you created all out of nothing. From the beginning when your Spirit soared over the waters of creation you have been with us; in Genesis after creating all; you said that it was “Good.” All of creation sings your praises. And so we also join our voices in praise to you.

You promised an everlasting covenant with Noah as symbolized by the beautiful rainbow. You sent Abraham and Sarah to live among strangers, in a land they did not know. You brought your exiled people out of Egypt through an outcast. You spoke through men and women as your prophets and leaders and in doing so raised up the outcast and broke social norms. Through exiles and strangers, through misfits and rejects, through signs and covenants you showed your steadfast love, grace and mercy to your people. And so we also join our voices in praise to you.

Even when we lost our way, when we rallied against you, when we questioned you; God your love remained steadfast and sure. So much so that You sent Your only Son Jesus to show us the way of mercy and love. And so we join our voices in praise to you.

Born of a homeless young girl in a stable full of animals; living a life on the margins, with the outcast and the downtrodden; making friends with the unclean and the rejected. In Jesus you challenged those structures of power that fostered inequality. You fought for those who did not have a voice. You called and some listened. And so we join our voices with all those that have come before; from every time and place, as we sing to your glory.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Gracious and love God, father and mother to us all, you sent Jesus to teach us the ways of justice and shalom, showing us the depth of your love and grace. Jesus taught and challenged us to live into the glory of God.

As Jesus gathered at the table with his friends he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his friends saying; “this is the bread of the new covenant, eat it in remembrance of me.” After the feast, Jesus took the cup, giving thanks for the bounty of God’s creation, passed the cup to his friends saying; “this is the fruit of the new vine, every time you drink of this cup, remember me.”

God of bountiful giving we are blessed by your gift of unending Grace, as we remember the life death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ and wait in hope for your coming again into the world.

Christ has died.
Christ has risen.
Christ will come again.
(adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence)

Creating God we ask that you send your Spirit on all of us present and these gifts that we might become one in the body of Christ; a body of hope, justice, compassion, and acceptance in the world today; that our lives may be a testament to Your love and grace.

We come together tin prayer for ourselves and the world. Watch, O God, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight and send Your grace to all. Tend to Your sick ones, O God who heals. Give rest to Your weary ones, O God who nourishes. Send Your blessing down onto all who are dying, O God of compassion. Soothe all Your suffering ones, O God who comforts, and all for Your love’s sake.
(adapted from St. Augustine)

And we lift up in prayer to you Loving God, those in this community who we hope feel your comforting presence in their lives today…

Praise be to God, the Source of love!
Praise be to Christ, Love incarnate!
Praise be to the Spirit, Love’s power!
Praise be to God!
Amen.
(adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence)

All things are now ready, the feast has been prepared. All of us are children of God’s creation and all are welcome at the table.

Anthem – “Break Now the Bread of Life”

Prayer After Sharing

We give thanks that bread broken brings wholeness; that wine poured out replenishes; that time spent with the Risen Christ and one another is a gift and grace.
Amen.
(adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence)

Hymn – “We are a Rainbow”

We’re the light of all the world, we are a city on a hill,
We’re a candle on a stand proclaiming light,
We will not hide out lamp beneath a bushel anymore,
We will shine a ray of hope that’s burning bright.

We’re the cost of many colours, sewn from many different threads,
Covering all in warmth, in welcome and in grace,
God said, “Let there be light,” created every varied shade,
In the rainbow each of us can find a place.

We are a rainbow, sign of covenant and peace
For the flood of tears will fin’lly cease to be,
Come shine your rainbow, splash your hues across the sky,
Paint the world in colours proud and bold and free.

We are hope to still believe in tomorrow’s better day,
We are peace in a world that’s torn apart,
We are joy that will last in all the struggles that we face
We are love that blooms and grows in every heart.

When we face the storms of life, we will never be alone,
For our God will be with us on the way,
Hand in hand, side by side, we won’t be frightened anymore,
As the mourning night of tears breaks into day.

We are a rainbow, sign of covenant and peace
For the flood of tears will fin’lly cease to be,
Come shine your rainbow, splash your hues across the sky,
Paint the world in colours proud and bold and free.
Paint the world in colours proud and bold and free.

Commissioning and Benediction

Branches bent with ripening fruit, golden wheat swaying in the wind. We are part of God’s wondrous creation. Bod we go forth and rejoice in your creation. Gatherings, parades, festivals and fairs, be with us as we dance in the garden of your creation. May the God of creation, who walks with wounded feet, serves with wounded hands, and loves with a wounded heart, be with you today and always. Amen.
(adapted from the Institute for Welcoming Resources)

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.