Bulletin – Sunday, May 5, 2024 – Six Sunday of Easter / Communion

Sunday, May 5, 2024
Sixth Sunday of Easter / Communion

We Gather as People of Faith

Welcome

Announcements

Lighting the Christ Candle

Call to Worship

One:   The Spirit of the Living God is present around us and within us.
All:      We come to find peace.

One:   The love of Christ is shown by different people in different ways.
All:      We are those people. We are loved and called to love ourselves and others.

One:   The ever-new life of Christ continues to go before us.
All:      We come to listen; see; be surprised and follow.

One:   Let us worship God together.

Hymn – “When We Come Together”

When we come together gladly our community grows strong.
When we meet to tell our story, when we join to sing our song,
We are celebrating friendship, we are building bonds of peace;
Pass a vision to each other; let God’s spirit never cease.

All are welcome at our table to be nourished by the Word.
Christ extends the invitation, we respond as we have heard.
He does not demand perfection when we worship in his name,
For the last shall be the first here; God forgives us just the same.

In our crowded lives we’re searching for a meaning we can share.
Will we find some room for patience, will we take the time to care?
But when two or more are gathered, Christ will be there with us too,
Then the Spirit grows among us, giving joy to all we do

Prayer of Approach and Confession

Holy One. We are told that Peter walked on water. The tomb was empty. Later Jesus was seen and Thomas moved from doubt to belief. Shake our stagnant faith. Open our eyes to wonder. Free our need of certainty and lead us to an unknown yet faithful future. Forgive our need to maintain what is over the hope and vision of how love will be revealed. Help us accept that you forgive us, and we cannot hide from your freeing grace. Trusting in your mercy and power and compassion, we say “Amen.”

Words of Assurance

Sung Response – “Alleluia” (MV #50)

Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!

We Hear God’s Word

Scripture Reading:        Acts 10:44-48

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles, ⁴⁶ for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ⁴⁸ So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Scripture Reading:         John 15:9-17

⁹ As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Scripture Reading:         Psalm 98

¹ O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm    have gotten him victory. ² The Lord has made known his victory;    he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. ³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness    to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen    the victory of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;    break forth into joyous song and sing praises. ⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,    with the lyre and the sound of melody. ⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

⁷ Let the sea roar and all that fills it,    the world and those who live in it. ⁸ Let the floods clap their hands;    let the hills sing together for joy ⁹ at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming    to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness    and the peoples with equity.

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

Hymn – “Love the Lord Your God”

Love the Lord your God, with all your heart.
Love the Lord your God with all your soul.
Love the Lord your God with all your mind,
Love the Lord your God with all that you are.

Meditation – “Really?”

Hymn – “Love Astounding”

Love astounding, Love confounding limits fearful minds impose.
Love renewing, Love pursuing every heart until it knows
Love’s transforming, healing goodness, Love’s abiding gentle grace,
Love’s endurance, Love’s assurance, Love’s consoling strong embrace.

Love receiving, Love believing, we rejoice with thanks and song,
Faith regaining, hope proclaiming; Love has taught us, we belong
Safe within Love’s tender keeping, safe from fear’s persistent call.
Love defending, Love unending, Love of God enfolding all.

We Respond to God’s Word

Invitation to Share

Offering Response – “Grant Us, God, the Grace” (VU #540)

Grant us, God, the grace of giving, with a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living we may offer faithfully.

Offering Prayer

Anthem – “Come, Share the Lord”

We gather here in Jesus’ name,
His love is burning in our hearts like living flame.
For through His loving Son the Father makes us one.
Come take the bread, come drink the cup, come share the Lord.

For He will feed us with His presence here,
This bread and cup will do us good.
Our deepest hungers He will satisfy,
For He is life and peace and rest and drink and food.

He joins us here, He breaks the bread.
The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead.
The One we love the most is now our gracious host.
Come take the bread, come drink the cup, come share the Lord.

No one is a stranger here, everyone belongs.
Finding our forgiveness here, we in turn forgive all wrongs.
We are now the family of the Lord is head.
Though unseen He meets us here in the breaking of the bread.

We gather here in Jesus’ name,
His love is burning in our hearts like living flame.
For through His loving Son, the Father makes us one.
Come take the bread, come drink the cup, come share the Lord.

Sacrament of Holy Communion

One:   May God be with you
All:      and also with you.

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

One:   Let us give thanks to the God of love.
All:      We freely give God thanks and praise.

One:   In the memory of Jesus, In the life of Christ, in the love of God, we excitedly proclaim:
All:      Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again

One:   ….

Prayer After Holy Communion

As we have been fed by your presence…let us continue to be led by your grace. As we are enabled to live in your surprising and courageous love let us go in peace. Amen.

Prayers of the People

One:   God of grace
All:      with thanks we share your love.

We Go Into God’s World

Hymn – “Song for Love”

Now we sing to praise love’s blessing
All through our lives,
Laughter, joy, surprise confessing,
All through our lives.
Love that dreamed a new creation,
Love that dared an incarnation,
Love that offers transformation
All through our lives.

How our wounds ache for love’s healing
All through our days.
How our world needs love’s revealing,
In all its ways.
Fearful hearts suspect the stranger,
Hardened nations arm for danger,
Love lives on, the powerful changer,
All through our days.

Love’s the grace that makes us caring
All through our lives,
Urges us to warmth and sharing
All through our lives,
Speaks in us, oppression naming,
Strives in us, injustice shaming,
Lives in us, true peace proclaiming
All through our lives.

In God’s faithful love we flourish
All through our lives,
Known and loved, each other nourish
All through our lives.
Though the world’s demands are pressing,
what life brings is left to guessing,
Still we sing to praise love’s blessing
All through our lives.

Benediction

Response – “Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, Amen!” (VU #974)

Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, amen!
Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, amen!