The Way of Blessedness: The Beatitude
Gathering as the Body of Christ
Prelude
(in-person service only)
Welcome and Sharing of Announcements
Call to Worship
Liturgist: Friends, we know what God desires of us:
People: That we do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
Liturgist: We gather this morning to remind each other about that,
People: To remember that now is always the right time to do these things.
Liturgist: So with thanks in our hearts, let us worship God.
Opening Prayer:
Holy God, we open our hearts to you this day, and offer the truth of our lives:
The fear that stifles us,
The prejudice that blinds us,
The ignorance that hobbles us,
The doubt that plagues us.
Help us, we pray, that we will
Find courage in unlikely place,
See the world with new and gracious eyes,
Move to those places where love is needed,
Have faith that you are with us.
This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Opening Hymn
“Where He Leads Me”
UMH #338 (vss 1,4)
Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Prayer Response
“All I Need Is You”
TFWS #2080
Online Communion
Pastor: The Lord be with you
People: And also with you
Pastor: Lift up your hearts
People: We lift them up to the Lord
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Pastor: Empowering God, you established your creation like a watered garden, and when your people’s hopes lay in ruins you answered their call and removed the yoke from among them. You guided them continually and satisfied their needs in parched places. In the death and resurrection of Christ, you repaired the breath between us and you and opened the way of peace for all your people. And so we gladly thank you, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, singing the hymn of your unending praise.
Together: Holy , holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, 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.
Pastor: Eye has not seen nor ear heard, beckoning God, what you have prepared for those who love you, in Jesus you are the salt that preserves us with you forever, and you are the light that transforms the darkness of death. On his last evening with the disciples your Son took the broken body and spilt blood of the cross and turned them into the glory of resurrection. Come among us now and turn the brokenness of our lives and the spiltness of your world into the wonder of your new life. Take these gifts of bread and wine may be for us the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ: Who, at supper with his disciples, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” After supper he took the cup. Again he gave you thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Great is the mystery of faith.
People: Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again!
Pastor: Inspiring God, you instill in us the wisdom of your SOn’s cross, and you send us the Spirit who searches the depths of your heart and the depths of ours. Shape your people in the image of your Son to be repairers of the breach; send us to be beside those who cry, among any who are afflicted, alongside all whose foundations lie in ruins. Bless your church that it may bear the marks of its risen and ascended Lord. Raise up saints to embody your truth in our midst, loose the bonds of injustice, undo the thongs of the yoke, and let the oppressed go free, until the day when you are all in all, on God, Father, Son, and Holy SPirit, ever one God.
Amen.
(Eucharistic Prayer by Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher)
Sharing of the Gifts of Bread and Cup
Look. Here is your Lord, coming to you in bread and wine.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Prayer After Communion
O Jesus, our beloved, we give you thanks for inviting us to your table and sharing your feast. May we know that we have been fed with love and grace, and may we follow you out in the world, ambassadors of your hope and peace. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Matthew 5:10-12
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Message
"The Deep Gladness of Suffering Love"
Pastor Seok-Hwan
Message in Music
“How Great Thou Art”
by Stuart K. Hine
Nancy Burns, soloist
(online service only)
Offertory Prayer
For the wondrous gift of life, we are thankful, O God. Your generous outpouring of grace reminds us of the fruitful life we are called to bear. May these gifts of time and labor, therefore, embody our desire to share and contribute to your coming reign among us. Amen.
Closing Hymn
“Are Ye Able”
UMH #530
The Blessing and Sending Forth
May God bless you with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears
to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.
The Traditional Fransiscan Blessing
In-Person Servers
Organist: Matt Cron
Usher: Roy Higgins
Greeter: Sharon Lipp
Liturgist: Jodie Kruger
Online Servers
Liturgist: Preeti Pabreja
