Liturgy for May 31, 2020

May 31st, 2020 | April Karli

We Are Waiting Blessed Savior

by, Fanny Crosby & Richard Kentopp

We are waiting, blessed Savior,

We are watching for the hour

When in majesty descending,

You will come in mighty power;

Then the shadows will be lifted,

And the darkness rolled away,

And our eyes behold the splendor

Of the glorious crowning day.

We are waiting, blessed Savior,

We are watching not in vain

For the cloud that bore you upward,

And will bring you back again.

Then, among your ransomed people,

We shall tread the shining way,

And our eyes behold the splendor

Of the glorious crowning day.

We are waiting, blessed Savior,

For a union, heart to heart,

With our savior in the garden,

Where we nevermore will part;

Then our sorrows, in a moment,

Like a dream will pass away,

When our eyes behold the splendor

Of the glorious crowning day.

Call to Worship

Whether friend or stranger,
Passionate believer or Hopeful skeptic,
We gather today as participants and hosts.

We, your people, stand ready and open
to receive the flame of your Spirit.

Let’s pause for a moment of quiet to still ourselves,
And be reminded that we are always in God’s presence.
(Wait for 8 seconds…….) 4 deep breaths.

Our Call to Worship is a video from the Work of the People this morning. If you are the caregiver of a pre-reader this morning, you might want to read the words aloud as they appear on the screen.

“Come, Great Spirit!” from The Work of the People
Holy Spirit,
Presence of God,
Holy Breath,
Life Divine!

Holy Wind,
Mover and Shaker!
We throw open our hearts before you;
We cast down every barrier to your freedom;
We yield to your boundless nature;
We welcome your wildness.

Too long have we tried to tame the wind;
Too long have we sought to control what’s wild;
Too long have we stood in domination over the earth.

At this moment of earth’s great groaning,
Yearning, as if in labor to birth what’s holy and enduring,
Come, breathe, blow, move upon us all –
That earth and all that’s in it may thrive;
That earth and all that’s in it may love;
That earth and all that’s in it may live
In the harmony and wholeness you desire for us and all creation!

Come, Great Spirit!
Breathe,
Blow, move upon us!
Here!
Now!
Come, Great Spirit!
Here now!
May it be so.

Jesus, Savior Pilot Me 

by, Edward Hopper & John Gould

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me

Over life’s tempestuous sea;

Unknown waves before me roll,

Hiding rock and treach’rous shoal.

Chart and compass come from Thee.

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

As a mother stills her child,

You can hush the ocean wild;

Boist’rous waves obey Thy will

When You say to them, “Be still!”

Wondrous Sovereign of the sea,

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore,

And the fearful breakers roar

Grant me long and the peaceful rest,

Then, while leaning on Your chest

May I hear You say to me,

“Fear not, I will pilot thee.”

Prayer of Confession 

When we don’t know how or what to pray, the Spirit knows.
When all we can muster are sighs and groans, the Spirit knows those also.

When we feel that we aren’t even worthy to approach God, the Spirit goes before us and with us and God welcomes us with arms open.

Let us confess our sins to God as a community.
Our response will be in bold.

Lord Jesus, your Kingdom is good news for a world caught in racial hostility. We ask that you would give us grace for the deep challenges facing our country.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we confess our anger, our deep sadness, and our collective sense of weakness to see this world healed through our own strength.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we honestly confess that our country has a long history of racial oppression, that racism has been a strategy of evil powers and principalities.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we confess that the gospel is good news for the oppressed and the oppressor. Both are raised up. Both are liberated, but in different ways. The oppressed are raised up from the harsh burden of systemic injustice. The oppressor from the destructive illusion of superiority.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we confess that the gospel is your power to form a new people not identified by dominance and superiority, but by unity in the Spirit.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we ask that you would help us name our part in this country’s story of racial oppression and hostility. Whether we have sinned against others by seeing them as inferior, or whether we have been silent in the face of evil. Forgive us of our sin.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we pray for our enemies. For those who have allowed Satanic powers to work through them. Grant them deliverance through your mighty power.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we ask that you would form us to be us peacemakers. May we be people who speak the truth in love as we work for a reconciled world.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Lord, we commit our lives to you, believing that you are working in the world in spite of destructive powers and principalities. Bring healing to those who are hurt, peace to those who are anxious, and love to those who are fearful. We wait for you, O Lord. Make haste to help us.
Oh Lord, only you can make all things new.

Hear the good news! 
God’s Spirit has been poured out upon all flesh,
and we have been made one. 
We are no longer scattered or divided,
but gathered together to build up the kingdom on this earth. 
Thanks be to God!

Prayers of the People

We now invite you into a time of prayer. This is an opportunity for us to support one another and participate by sharing our prayer requests.

Many may need to share. Please keep your prayers to a sentence or two so that everyone who wishes to share is able to. 

We welcome any guests among us and welcome you to pray with us and share a prayer request as well. 

If you have a prayer request, let us know in the chat box. We’ll unmute your mic so you can share.

If you have something you’re thankful for, end your prayer with…

“Let us bless the Lord” and we’ll respond together, “Thanks be to God.“

If you have something you’d like prayer for, end your prayer with…

“Let us pray to the Lord” and we’ll respond together, “Lord, have mercy.“

(Then start off with a prayer of your own as an example.)  

“With the prayers that have been spoken, and those that are unspoken,

let us finish by praying this prayer together…”

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom,

and the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen

Eucharist

(We now come to the center of our Liturgy, the Eucharist. Parents may invite your children back into the room at this time. Today we’ll receive the Eucharist in our homes, separated by space, but knitted together by God’s Spirit. Please examine your hearts and pray this prayer with me. Your responses will be in bold.)

The Lord will pour out his spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and daughters shall prophesy,

Your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.

You shall know that the Lord is in the midst of Israel,
that he is the Lord and there is none else.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

On this Day of Pentecost, we gather in celebration of the gift of your Spirit, Oh God. 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord; the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them, and to lead them into all truth; giving them boldness and fervent zeal to preach the Gospel to all nations. By their testimony and the work of the Spirit we have been brought out of error into the knowledge of you, and of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Because of this we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

We remember the great story – the rushing wind, the tongues of flame and the many different voices, all hearing in harmony, the pouring out of God’s spirit on all people.  We remember Jesus’ promise to his followers to always be with them. 

We remember how, on the night before he died, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat, this is my body, given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

(pause to take the bread)

We remember how, after supper, he took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you; this is my blood poured out for you and for everyone.  Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.

(pause for everyone to take the wine together)

By the power of the Holy Spirit, may this bread and wine be the body and blood of Christ for us. May we receive them as the very being of Christ in us, and as the power of the Spirit to fire our hearts and minds and wills for love and service.

 After Eucharist

Let us finish our time of communion together with this prayer.

God of power,
may the boldness of your Spirit transform us,
may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us,
may the gifts of your Spirit
be our goal and our strength
now and always.
Praise and glory to you creator Spirit of God;
you make our bread Christ’s body
to heal and reconcile
and to make us the body of Christ.
You make our wine Christ’s living sacrificial blood
to redeem the world.
You are truth.
You come like the wind of heaven, unseen, unbidden.
Like the dawn
you illuminate the world around us;
you grant us a new beginning every day.
You warm and comfort us.
You give us courage and fire
and strength beyond our everyday resources.
Be with us Holy Spirit in all we say or think,
in all we do this and every day.
Father, may we who have received this sacrament
live in the unity of your Holy Spirit,
that we may show forth your gifts to all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen. 

Offering

We now come to the time where we remember that nothing in this life is truly ours, but that all is a gift from God. 

Giving is an act of love for God and for our community. We encourage you to celebrate God’s generosity and to give back as God has given to us online at austinmustardseed.org/giving).

If you are new or participating in our liturgy for the first time, please be our guest this morning. 

We will sing one more song together as we prepare to close. This time is now yours, and we invite you to participate in worship.

Come Thou Fount 

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I’ve come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor,
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it
seal it for Thy courts above. 

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it
seal it for Thy courts above. 
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it
seal it for Thy courts above.

Benediction

Austin Mustard Seed, As you leave today:

As you enter a new week, may

you experience God’s presence.

May you feel God pouring out the

Holy Spirit over your heads and your

thoughts and the words of your lips.

May you feel the Holy Spirit dwell over

your hearts, feelings, emotions, and your

compassion for all others, and over your

hands and your feet as you put into action

all that God commands you.

During this week, may the grace

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with each of you;

Amen.

Go in Peace,
Live the Church,
See you throughout the week online at Community Groups and other meetups. Stick around for an extended Passing of the Peace and say hello before we sign off.

Prayers today are written by liturgists at Austin Mustard Seed & reWorship.
Image is “Pentecost” by Makoto Fujimura