Gathering Music

“Njalo”

Unison Call to Worship

Worker God, whose hands built the earth,
molded our bodies,
and sowed the stars across the sky,
we gather in your presence this morning
with praise and thanksgiving
for your mighty deeds.
Meet us here, Worker God;
strengthen our hearts and our hands
to work with you in the building
of a world filled with justice and peace.

Hymn of Welcome

“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”

Confession

Generous God,
You ask us to follow you
But we prefer to worship you

You call us to be open-hearted
But we’d rather be well-behaved

Forgive us for making so small the grandness of the Gospel
And open wide our hearts to the fullness of Your love

Response

“How Long?”

How long? How long?
How much longer must we wait?

Silence

Assurance

Loving God, you restore us to each other and to you, mending our hearts and repairing the world.
Through the power of your Spirit, you shape us to be for others what Christ is for us: pardon and peace, new life and blessing. We give you thanks for your love, forgiveness, and constant presence. Amen.

First Reading

Amos 5:14-15, 24

Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say God is.

Hate evil, love good;
maintain justice in the courts.
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy
on the remnant of Joseph.

Let Justice roll down like waters
And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream!

Response

“Let Justice Roll”

Second Reading

“A Litany of Survival” by Audre Lorde

One: Hear what the spirit is saying
Many: We are listening

Response

“En La Lucha”

Third Reading

Excerpt from “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)

But more basically, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

One: Hear what the spirit is saying
Many: We are listening

Choir Anthem

“Only Love”

words by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., music by Mark Miller

Prayer

A Responsive Prayer for Justice

by Rebecca Sutton, Program Coordinator of Global Women’s Exchange. This prayer was developed for the NY State Labor-Religion Coalition’s seventh annual 40-hour fast.  It was also part of Prayers for a Just Economy, a prayer service calling for an increase in the federal minimum wage held in Washington, DC, July 24, 2013.

Pray for those who are hungry.
Pray harder for those who will not feed them.

Pray for those who struggle each week to pay their bills.
Pray harder for the wealthy who do not care.

Pray for those who are homeless.
Pray harder for those who deny them shelter.

Pray for the sick and lonely.
Pray harder for those who will not give them comfort.

Pray for those who cry out for dignity.
Pray harder for those who will not listen.

Pray for those oppressed by unjust wages.
Pray harder for those who exploit them.

Pray for those who bear the yoke of prejudice.
Pray harder for those who discriminate against them.

Pray for those whose basic needs are denied.
Pray harder for public officials who cater to the greedy and ignore those bound unjustly. Amen.

Response

“Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” by Ken Medema

Lord, listen to your children praying
Lord, send you Spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying
Send us power, send us love, send us grace

Prayers of the People

Response

“Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” by Ken Medema

Lord, listen to your children praying
Lord, send you Spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying
Send us power, send us love, send us grace

Invitation to the Table

“Come to the Table of Grace” by Barbara Hamm

Blessing of the Love Feast

Sung Lord’s Prayer

Passing of the Peace

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“A Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147275/a-litany-for-survival

Excerpt from “Letter From a Birmingham Jail”
https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html