Gathering Music

I Will Call Upon the Lord

I will call upon the Lord
I will call upon the Lord
Who is worthy to be praised
Who is worthy to be praised

So shall I be saved from my enemies
So shall I be saved from my enemies
I will call upon the Lord.

The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock;
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock;
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Call to Worship

From Bethlehem to Nazareth,
From Jordan to Jericho,
From Bethany to Jerusalem,
From then to now,
Come, Lord Jesus.

To heal the sick,
To mend the brokenhearted,
To comfort the disturbed,
To disturb the comfortable,
To cleanse the temple,
To liberate faith from convention,
Come, Lord Jesus.

To carry the cross,
To lead the way,
To shoulder the sin of the world
And take it away,
Come, Lord Jesus.

Today,
To this place,
To us,
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Hymn of Welcome

How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in God’s excellent word!
What more can God say than to you God hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

“When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

“The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”

Scripture

Exodus 32:7-14

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

Homily

“‘Membah Dat?!”

Rev. Dr. Meredith Hoxie Schol

Sung Response

I Love to Tell the Story

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and God’s love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ‘tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Refrain: I love to tell the story,
‘Twill be my theme in glory;
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and God’s love.

Table Liturgy

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

ELDER: Blessed are you, our Alpha and our Omega, whose strong and loving arms encompass the universe, for with your eternal Word and Holy Spirit you are forever one God. Through your Word you created all things and called them good, and in you we live and move and have our being. When we fell into sin, you did not desert us. You made covenant with your people Israel and spoke through prophets and teachers. In Jesus Christ your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.

And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

MANY: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

DEACON: Holy are you, and blessed is Jesus Christ, who called you Abba. As a parent tenderly gathers their children, you embraced a people as your own and filled them with a longing for a peace that would last and for a justice that would never fail. In Jesus’ suffering and death you took upon yourself our sin and death and destroyed their power for ever. You raised from the dead this same Jesus, who now reigns with you in glory, and poured upon us your Holy Spirit, making us the people of your new covenant.

On the night before meeting with death, Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to the disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the supper was over Jesus took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to the disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

MANY: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Hosanna in the Highest.

ELDER: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts, that in the breaking of this bread and the drinking of this cup we may know the presence of the living Christ and be renewed as the body of Christ for the world, redeemed by Christ’s blood.

As the grain and grapes, once dispersed in the fields, are now united on this table in bread and cup, so may we and all your people be gathered from every time and place into the unity of your eternal household and feast at your table forever. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is yours, almighty and loving God, now and forever.

MANY: Amen.

DEACON: And now with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray the prayer that Christ taught us… And I invite you to pray in your own story-telling language:

Our God who art 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Music During Communion

Holy Spirit

There’s nothing worth more
That could ever come close
No thing can compare
You’re our living hope
Your presence, Lord

I’ve tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
Your presence, Lord

There’s nothing worth more
That could ever come close
No thing can compare
You’re our living hope
Your presence, Lord

I’ve tasted and seen
Of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free
And my shame is undone
Your presence, Lord

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
Your presence, Lord

Let us become more aware of Your presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness (repeat 4x)

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
(repeat 2x)

Blessing

Rev. Dr. Meredith Hoxie Schol

Sending Forth

I Will Call Upon the Lord (Refrain)

The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock;
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock;
And let the God of my salvation be exalted.