Gathering Music
“Hakuna Wakaita Sa Jesu”
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”
Call to Prayer
Kelsey Wallace
One: We bid you welcome who come with weary spirit seeking rest.
All: Who come with troubles that are too much with you, who come hurt and afraid.
One: We bid you welcome who come with hope in your heart.
All: Who come with anticipation in your step, who come proud and joyous.
One: We bid you welcome who are seekers of new faith.
All: Who come to probe and explore, who come to learn.
One: We bid you welcome who enter this place as a homecoming.
All: Who have found here room for your spirit, who find in this people a home.
One: Whoever you are, whatever you are, wherever you are on your journey, we bid you welcome.
Sung Confession
“Beautiful Things”
Scripture
Ann Marie Brown
Leviticus 19:33-34
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Sung Response
“House of God”
words by Laurie Zelman and music by Mark Miller
Poem
Ann Marie Brown
Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
Silence
Group Reflection
In groups of two or three, share about a time when you’ve been a stranger or in a strange place. What were the things that people did that made you feel welcomed or that you belonged?
Sung Response
“House of God”
words by Laurie Zelman and music by Mark Miller
Prayers of the People
Kelsey Wallace
Holy one, holy three, our prayer today is for all who are victims of cruel laws and petty laws, those who are subjected to prejudice, denied opportunities, excluded, and pushed to the margins. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for all those who are betrayed, who don’t know loyalty, who fear to trust, or to love, and who don’t realize that they’re already loved by you. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the landless and homeless, the refugee and evicted, those who find themselves in foreign places and strange spaces. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the overworked and the underpaid, for those in dangerous work and those in compassionate work, for those who long to work but are denied the opportunity. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the Church, for all the branches of the vine including ours in this small corner of the forest: body of Christ, people of Christ, beloved community for whom the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the gifts of creation, this earth in all its mighty wonder, yet tender fragility, the gifts of life and resources to treasure. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one.
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for those who lie close to our hearts those whom we worry about, those whom we miss, those who carry disproportionate burdens at this time. Hear this, beloved community, the Lord our God is one:
All: We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength. Amen.
Blessing
Mark Miller
Friends as we prepare to leave this place and go our separate ways remember that you are never alone. The God who made us and called us is with us still. So shroud yourself in peace, extend your hands in love, and keep hope ever before your eyes. Go with courage, go with strength, go with blessing. Amen.
Sending
“All My Days”
Worship Notes
Call to Worship:
https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/02/opening-litany-we-bid-you-welcome.html
Prayers of the People adapted from:
https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/10/prayers-of-people-we-will-love.html
