Service of Worship
Prelude – Hani
I Lay My Sins on Jesus
Arr. Todd Kendall
Welcome and Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Strength is commanding
the wind and sea to obey,
Strength is wielding
a slingshot in the face of a raging giant.
Strength is accepting vulnerability
from inside the boat,
Strength is standing in solidarity
with the powerless.
Strength is turning a cheek,
Strength is loving an enemy.
We come to worship
a God who redefines our vision of strength. Amen.
Opening Hymn — #64 Holy, Holy, Holy
1. 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
2. Holy holy holy
All the saints adore Thee
Casting down their golden crowns
Around the glassy sea
Cherubim and seraphim
Falling down before Thee
Which wert and art
And evermore shalt be
3. Holy holy holy
Though the darkness hide Thee
Though the eye of sinful man
Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy
There is none beside Thee
Perfect in power
In love and purity
4. Holy holy holy
Lord God Almighty
All Thy works shall praise Thy name
In earth and sky and sea
Holy holy holy
Merciful and mighty
God in three persons
Blessed Trinity
Holy Holy Holy (Nicaea)
John Bacchus Dykes | Reginald Heber
Public Domain
Scripture Reading — Matthew 5:43-48 (NRSV)
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,a what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Children’s Time with Ms Becky
Announcements, Joys and Concerns, and Pastoral Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, we call upon you in Jesus’ name.
We come with empty hands.
We have not been able to love our enemies.
As a rule we have never even seen them.
We have avoided them.
When we saw them, we felt only fear and anger, not love.
So we come to you, not as the children of your love,
but as the enemy of our enemies,
beseeching you for ourselves and all the others;
Bless those who curse you,
do good to those who hate you.
Forgive us for what we have failed to do for our enemies.
You lead us out of the constriction of fear
and out of the prison of hate,
into the wide space of freedom.
Let us see your sun,
which rises upon the evil and the good,
and rejoice in its warmth, together with our enemies. Amen.
Offering Our Gifts to the Lord
For those who are called and able, gifts and tithes can still be made through online giving, by mailing them in, and by dropping them off to the office through the secure mail slot to the left of the double door entry to the church hallway.
Offertory — Barry & Leah
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
Adapt. William Farley Smith
© 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
Used by Permission. CCLI License # 656051
Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (Old 100th)
Louis Bourgeois | Thomas Ken
Public Domain
Offertory Prayer
God of compassion, when we failed to keep your commandments and rebelled against that which would bring peace and joy to our lives, your love was so great that you offered us a new covenant – not written on tablets, but on our hearts. In our giving, and in all our offerings, may it be our lives, our love and devotion that we bring to your altar. May we remember in our giving that you loved us so much that the sacrifice of your Son on the cross for us was not too great a cost. Our gifts are meager in comparison, but let them remind us of what you gave first. In Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.
Sermon – Pastor Stacy Dickson
Building the Barricade
Closing Hymn — #420 Breathe On Me Breath Of God
1. Breathe on me breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what Thou dost love
And do what Thou wouldst do
2. Breathe on me breath of God
Until my heart is pure
Until with Thee I will one will
To do and to endure
3. Breathe on me breath of God
Till I am wholly Thine
Till all this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine
4. Breathe on me breath of God
So shall I never die
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity
Breathe On Me Breath Of God (Trentham)
Edwin Hatch | Robert Jackson
Public Domain
Benediction
Wonderful God, you call us to do the impossible:
to love our enemies,
to confront injustice,
to share bountifully with the poor.
You do not give us an inch:
you call us to be perfect in our imitation of you.
And yet, you give us everything:
love abounding,
the foundation of Christ,
and the gift of creation.
Bless us, therefore, as we depart this place:
give us the blessing of a faithful spirit, a willing heart,
and a kin-dom of grace. Amen!
Postlude – Hani
God of Our Fathers
James Mansfield
Public Domain
CCLI Streaming Licence: CSPL052773