Gathering Music

“Welcome” – Words: Laurie Zelman, Music: Mark A. Miller
VERSE 1
Let’s walk together for a while
And ask where we begin
To build a world where love can grow
And hope can enter in
To be the hands of healing
And to plant the seed of peace

CHORUS
Singing Welcome welcome to this place
You’re invited to come and know God’s grace
All are welcome the love of God to share
‘Cause all of us are welcome here
All are welcome in this place

VERSE 2
Let’s talk together of a time
When we will share a feast
Where pride and power kneel to serve
The lonely and the least
And joy will set the table
As we join our hands to pray

CHORUS

VERSE 3
Let’s dream together of the day
When earth and heaven are one
A city built of love and light
The new Jerusalem
Where our mourning turns to dancing
Every creature lifts its voice

CHORUS

“Hakuna Wakaita Sa Jesu” – Traditional Shona
Hakuna wakaita sa Jesu
(There’s no one in this world like Jesus)
Hakuna wakaita sa ye
(There’s no one in this world like him)
Hakuna wakaita sa Jesu
(There’s no one in this world like Jesus)
Haku haku chi na

I’m running running
Searching searching
I’m turning turning
Searching searching
I’m searching searching everywhere
Haku haku chi na

Call to Worship

Roeline Ramirez

(adapted from enfleshed)
Leader: From the midst of our lives, vibrant and troubled
All: God longs to connect with us.
Leader: They meet us with compassion and call us to courage.
All: God entices us all toward deeper relations.
Leader: With land and creature, neighbors and strangers,
All: we find our lives entangled and entwined.
Leader: For the sake of all life,
All: God summons our attention.

Opening Song

“God of Grace and God of Glory” – Harry Emreson Fosdick
VERSE 1
God of grace and God of glory
on the people pour thy power
crown thine ancient church’s story
bring its bud to glorious flower

Grant us wisdom grant us courage
for the facing of this hour
for the facing of this hour

VERSE 2
Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn thy Christ assail his ways
Fears and doubts too long have bound us
free our hearts to work and praise

Grant us wisdom grant us courage
for the living of these days
for the living of these days

VERSE 3
Cure thy children’s warring madness
bend our pride to thy control
shame our wanton selfish gladness
rich in things and poor in soul

Grant us wisdom grant us courage
less we miss thy kingdom’s goal
less we miss thy kingdom’s goal

VERSE 4
Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore
let the search for thy salvation
be our glory evermore

Grant us wisdom grant us courage
serving thee whom we adore
serving thee whom we adore

Opening Prayer

Cody Beckett

(adapted from enfleshed)

Leader: God, you who are who you are, who will be who you will be – we do not always understand you or what you ask of us. But in your presence, there is something that entices us, that comforts us, that challenges us toward the world we desire. You inevitably call us toward the risky and unfamiliar, so may we not let our fears deter
us. May curiosity and openness be our practices of faith.
All: Amen.

Scripture Reading – Exodus 3:1-15

Faith Gatwiri

3Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4When the LORD saw that Moses had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5Then God said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6God said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

11But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12God said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” 13But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is God’s name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” God said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.”

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.

Musical Offering

“From This Bright Hour” Music: Mark A. Miller

Seminary Choir

Sermon

Dean Edwin Aponte

Musical Response

“Let Every Voice with Every Breath” – Words: David Bjorlin, Music: Mark A. Miller
Let ev’ry voice with ev’ry breath
Sing of Christ’s triumph over death:
O Love – how deep, how high, how broad,
That reconciles the world to God.

Alleluia, alleluia!
O Love – how deep, how high, how broad,
Alleluia, alleluia,
That reconciles the world to God.

All people, come, and join the song,
Now Jew and Gentile both belong:
Christ rose to make divisions cease
And join all nations by his peace.

Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ rose to make divisions cease,
Alleluia, alleluia,
And join all nations by his peace.

Still Christ is drawing people near,
Still love is raised above our fear.
As Christ invites the lost and least,
All guests are welcome at this feast.

Alleluia, alleluia!
As Christ invites the lost and least,
Alleluia, alleluia,
All guests are welcome at this feast!

Sacrament of Holy Communion

(adapted from Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)

Celebrant: Dean Aponte
Servers: Sam Smith, Conway Gittens

Leader: May the God of burning bushes be with you!
People: And also with you!
Leader: People of God, offer your hearts to God,
who calls to you from the mystery of grace.
People: We turn aside to open ourselves to the One who calls us to new life.
Leader: Children of God, remember all the joy and wonder which you have experienced.
People: We will lift our voices in praise to the One who is beyond all imagining.

Leader: In a moment, creation began,
and from that time on, God of Freedom,
you began to pour out
your goodness and genuine love.
Earth laughed with flowers
and rejoiced with sunrises.
You shaped us in your image
and began to show us all
you wanted to give us.
But we tripped over the stumbling blocks
of sin and death, falling flat
on our fears and doubts.
Observing our misery in such living,
you sent the prophets
to call us back to you,
but we did not hear their cries.
Knowing we would continue
to suffer and lose our way,
you sent Jesus to come and deliver us.

Joining our voices with those
who have faithfully followed,
and with those who stumbled along the way,
we call on your name, singing praises to you:

All: Holy, holy, holy are you, God of Wonder.
Watching our struggles,
your heart breaks;
hearing our cries,
you whisper our names;
knowing our loneliness,
you came to deliver us.
Blessed is Jesus Christ, who comes in your name!
Hosanna in the highest!

Leader: Holy are you, Listener of cries in the night,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Child.
Hearing the pain of your heart,
he came to speak of your hopes;
seeing the brokenness of our relationships,
he came to make us whole;
knowing our fear of death,
he came to defeat its power;
aware of what it would cost him,
he journeyed to Jerusalem
to embrace suffering, heartache, and death,
until he burst from the grave,
bringing life for all.

Remembering Christ’s wonderful works,
recalling his miracles, his words, his life,
we speak of that mystery we know as faith:

All: Christ rejoices with us,
Christ weeps with us,
Christ died for us,
Christ was raised for us.

Leader: As we prepare to gather around
your Table, God of Love,
pour out your Spirit upon us,
and on the gifts of the bread and cup.
Feed us on the rich food
of your forgiveness and grace.
Quench our thirst for power
with the sweet wine of your servanthood,
so we might choose
honor over fame,
humility over pride,
forgiveness over vengeance,
and in so doing,
lose ourselves in your life of service,
giving ourselves to others,
thus returning your love for us.

We join our siblings from every time and place lifting
hearts and voices in singing your praise,
God in Community, Holy in One.

All: Amen.

Communion Music

“Let Us Break Bread Together” – Negro Spiritual
VERSE 1
Let us break bread together on our knees
let us break bread together on our knees
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
O Lord have mercy on me

VERSE 2
Let us drink wine together on our knees
let us drink wine together on our knees
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
O Lord have mercy on me

VERSE 3
Let us praise God together on our knees
let us praise God together on our knees
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
O Lord have mercy on me

Blessing

Dean Aponte

Sending Song

“Sent Out in Jesus’ Name”

Sent out in Jesus’ name
Our hands are ready now
To make the earth place
In which the kin-dom comes
X2

The angels cannot change
A world of hurt and pain
Into a world of love
Of justice and of peace
The task is ours to do
To set it really free
O help us to obey
And carry out your will