Gathering Music

Call to Worship

Leader: The world belongs to God,
All: The earth and all its people.
Leader: How good it is , how wonderful,
All: To live together in unity.
Leader: Love and faith come together,
All: Justice and peace join hands.
Leader: If Christ’s followers keep silent
All: These stones would shout aloud.
Leader: Open our lips, O God,
All: And our mouths shall proclaim your praise.

Hymn of Welcome

“Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”

Opening Prayer

Leader:
Merciful and Almighty God,

All:
you love for us is strong, but too often our love for you is weak.
You call us to follow Jesus, but we are slow to do so.
You care for all that you have made, but we too often ignore the needs of others, and misuse your earth. We repent. Forgive us, and give us strength and courage to honor you by the way we live, after the example of Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

Scripture

2 Samuel 21

There was a famine in David’s time. It went on year after year after year—three years. David went to God seeking the reason. God said, “This is because there is blood on Saul and his house, from the time he massacred the Gibeonites.” So the king called the Gibeonites together for consultation. (The Gibeonites were not part of Israel; they were what was left of the Amorites, and protected by a treaty with Israel. But Saul, a fanatic for the honor of Israel and Judah, tried to kill them off.) David addressed the Gibeonites: “What can I do for you? How can I compensate you so that you will bless God’s legacy of land and people?” The Gibeonites replied, “We don’t want any money from Saul and his family. And it’s not up to us to put anyone in Israel to death.” But David persisted: “What are you saying I should do for you?” Then they told the king, “The man who tried to get rid of us, who schemed to wipe us off the map of Israel—well, let seven of his sons be handed over to us to be executed—hanged before God at Gibeah  of Saul, the holy mountain.” And David agreed, “I’ll hand them over to you.” The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the promise David and Jonathan had spoken before God. But the king selected Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah daughter of Aiah  had borne to Saul, plus the five sons that Saul’s daughter Merab had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He turned them over to the Gibeonites who hanged them on the mountain before God—all seven died together. Harvest was just getting underway, the beginning of the barley harvest, when they were executed. Rizpah daughter of Aiah took rough burlap and spread it out for herself on a rock from the beginning of the harvest until the heavy rains started. She kept the birds away from the bodies by day and the wild animals by night. David was told what she had done, this Rizpah daughter of Aiah and concubine of Saul. He then went and got the remains of Saul and Jonathan his son from the leaders at Jabesh Gilead (who had rescued them from the town square at Beth Shan where the Philistines had hung them after striking them down at Gilboa). He gathered up their remains and brought them together with the dead bodies of the seven who had just been hanged. The bodies were taken back to the land of Benjamin and given a decent burial in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father. They did everything the king ordered to be done. That cleared things up: from then on God responded to Israel’s prayers for the land.

Sung Response

“I Choose Love”

Luke 19

Peter Karanja

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus, keeping watch, were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Homily

Dean Javier Viera

Sung Response

“We Resist”

Eucharistic Prayer

Dean Javier Viera

M: The Lord be with you.
P: And also with you.
M: Lift up your hearts.
P: We lift them to the Lord.
M: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
P: It is right to give God thanks and praise.

M: God our Father and Mother,
we give you thanks and praise
for all that you have made,
for the stars in their splendor
and the world in its wonder
and for the glorious gift of human life.
With the saints in all times and places,
we join our voices and praise your holy name:

“Sanctus”

M: Holy God, you love us without reserve or question,
even when we turn away from you.
You sent Jesus to us, who healed the sick,
wept with those who mourn,
walked with and embraced those at the margins,
and restored our fractured relationship with you.
To show the world your radical, all-encompassing love,
he died for all on the cross, and you raised him in glory

On the night in which he gave himself for us,
he shared a meal with his friends, took bread, thanked you,
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 of wine, thanked you, gave it to his friends and said,
“Drink from this all of you. This is my blood, my essence, given for you and for the
forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as your drink of it in remembrance of me.”

And so, God of love, in remembrance that Jesus died, rose again, and made all things
new, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

“Memorial Acclamation”

M: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, and on these gifts of bread and wine.
May they be for us Christ’s saving body and blood.
May this same Spirit unite us with all your people on earth, and bring us at last
to that table where we will share with you and all your saints in glory.
We ask this through Christ, and in Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit,
for all honor and glory is yours, almighty and loving God, now and forever.

“Amen”

(Grape juice and wine are available, as well as a gluten free option)

“Bless the Lord O My Soul” – FWS 2013

“Let Us Be Bread” – FWS 2260

“Child of God”

Blessing

Dean Javier Viera

Sending

“Draw the Circle Wide”