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A Service of Song, Word, & Worship
February 4, 2024
* Please rise in body or spirit.
(11:00) “Just Jazz” Preservice Music Jazz to Go
Armando’s Rhumba Corea/arr. Lah
Bernie’s Tune Miller arr. Lah
WELCOME
PRELUDE
8:30 Dr. Dan Cummings, piano
11:00 Come Thou Traveler Unknown Wesley/arr. Ahrend Jazz to Go
*CALL TO WORSHIP
People of God, welcome! Surely God is in this place!
We come to worship and to rest in God’s presence.
Breathe deep, for the goodness of God surrounds us.
The Holy One who sustains the universe is near.
When we are tired, worn down, and carrying heavy burdens, God is with us.
God strengthens us so that we might help carry one another’s burdens.
So, let us join together in wonder and thanksgiving for God’s love that lifts us up on wings like eagles.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
* PROCESSIONAL HYMN For the Healing of the Nations 428 UMH
A READING FROM THE GOSPEL Luke 15
ANTHEM
(8:30) Ain’t Got Time to Die Hall Johnson Dr. Karen Marrolli, mezzo-soprano
(11:00) Go to the World Karen Marrolli Chancel Choir
MESSAGE Party With Purpose MICHAEL BECK
MUSICAL RESPONSE “Siyahambah/We Are Marching in the Light of God” TFWS 2235b
RESPONDING TO THE WORD: WE ARE CENTRAL — WITNESS Michele Humes
INVITATION TO OFFERING
OFFERTORY PRAYER
O God, we are gathered here under the shelter of your wings,
nurtured by your motherly love,
and encouraged, then, to fly by faith on the wind of your spirit.
You have spoken to us, saying
"They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings as eagles."
Teach us how to wait, then, that we may learn how to fly.
May this nest we call "family" be built with sturdy materials.
Don't let us forget, though,
that this nest was not created as a fortress behind which to hide,
but as a perch from which to take off.
And strengthen us with the assurance that we do not fly alone.
This we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.
OFFERTORY
(8:30) Dr. Dan Cummings, piano
(11:00) Spirit Song Wimbe Jazz to Go
* DOXOLOGY Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow 94 UMH
(8:30) PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful Lord, we like to think that we do everything well. We pat ourselves on the back
when we act with love and mercy toward others, complimenting ourselves in self-
righteousness. But you know us better. You know our faults and our failings. You know
when we falsely proclaim that we are truly living as you would have us live. Teach us again
about your forgiving and healing love. Show us ways of merciful living that we may extend
the love and mercy you have given us to others. Forgive us, we pray. For we ask these
things in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
(8:30) ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Rejoice! You are loved by God who heals your hearts and spirits. What a blessing! What a joy!
In Jesus’ Name, we all are forgiven and healed. Amen
(8:30) PASSING OF THE PEACE
(8:30) REGATHERING HYMN They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love (vs 1,3) TFWS 2223
(8:30) GREAT THANKSGIVING/COMMUNION LITURGY
Friends, if your seeking has led you here, if your weary heart followed breadcrumbs all the
way to this sanctuary, then I have good news: you do not have to seek anymore.
This table is God’s Table. So if you came here looking for justice, then rest in the comfort
that all will be fed here. If you came seeking beauty, then let your spirit marvel at the beauty
of a community coming together. If you came seeking a brush with the Divine, then know
that God is present in this ordinary meal. Let your weary heart stop the search. We are
standing on holy ground. This is God’s Table. All are invited. Come.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
God of the lost and the found, surely it is right for us to give our thanks and praise;
for day after day we look for you, and day after day we find you: in the laugher of children,
in the sun rising over the horizon, in the flowers of spring.
Our seeking does not go unanswered, and for that we are grateful.
So first and foremost, we come to you in prayer to say thank you,
for when we’re seeking beauty, you give us mountains and freckles, green eyes and brown
eyes. When we we’re looking for reason to hope, you give us rainbows after the storm, and
candles flickering in the window. When we’re seeking peace, you give us three-part
harmony and the sound of the rain. And when we’re seeking justice, your life reminds us
that everyone is welcome at your Table, and none shall be turned away.
For all these reminders we are deeply grateful. And yet, gracious God, our seeking does not
stop. For even though your fingerprints are all over this world, we are not yet at your
promised day.
So in addition to our gratitude, we also pray today for conviction. Do not let us get
comfortable with half-hearted seeking. Do not let us grow numb to the suffering of this
world. Make us relentless in our pursuit of justice— relentless in our consoling of the
grieving, in our welcoming of the stranger, and in the feeding of the hungry.
And as we see and as we seek, pour out your Spirit on this ordinary bread and cup. May this
meal be the nourishment we need to continue seeking you in the world.
Until your promised day, we will pray. Until your promised day, we will seek. Amen
(11:00) PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, we are just beginning to get back into the “new year,” a time when our lives settle down
into a somewhat predictable pattern - life goes on. But have we overlooked how we are living
that life? Have we forgotten the many ways in which we have not been faithful to you? You love
us unconditionally and pour out your grace upon us always. You look at what we say and what
we have done and ask us to live lives of mercy and peace. As you have forgiven us, help us be
forgiving to others. Let us bring peace and hope, keeping doors open for healing and redemption.
Walk with us, Lord, this day and all our days. In this we pray, in this we remember, and in this
we join our voices together as we pray the prayer you taught us to pray, “Our Creator…”
(11:00) INVITATION TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
CLOSING HYMN Let There Be Peace on Earth 431 UMH
* BENEDICTION
MUSICAL BENEDICTION Let Us Walk Forth Karen Marrolli
8:30 Dr. Karen Marrolli, mezzo-soprano 11:00 Chancel Choir
POSTLUDE
8:30 Dr. Dan Cummings, piano
11:00 Ode to Joy arr. Ahrend Jazz to Go
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