Gathering Music

There’s a Spirit of Love in This Place – Mark A. Miller- W&S 3148
Verse 1
There’s a spirit of love in this place,
there’s a spirit of love in this place.
You can’t see it, but it’s there
just as precious as the air.
There’s a spirit of love in this place.

Chorus
O alleluia, sing alleluia!
We bless your holy name.
O alleluia, sing alleluia!
There’s a spirit of love in this place.

Verse2
There’s the presence of peace in this room,
there’s the presence of peace in this room.
In God’s tenderness is found peace that passes human bounds.
There’s the presence of peace in this room.

Chorus

Call to Worship

Esther Inuwa

(adapted from First Presbyterian Church Nashville, based on Micah 6:8)
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Leader: What does the Holy One require of us?
All: To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
Leader: Praise the Lord.
All: The Lord’s name be praised.

Opening Song

What Does the Lord Require of You – Words & Music: Jim Strathdee – TFWS 2174

What does the Lord require of you
Justice kindness walk humbly with your God
To seek justice and love kindness
And walk humbly with your God

Opening Prayer

Lerato Pitso

Leader: Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
All: For behold, bleakness covers the land;
deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
Leader: But over you the Lord will rise,
and God’s glory will appear upon you.
All: Nations will stream to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Leader: Your gates will always be open;
by day or night they will never be shut.
All: They will call you, The City of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Leader: Violence will no more be heard in your land,
ruin or destruction within your borders.
All: You will call your walls, Salvation,
and all your portals, Praise.
Leader: The sun will no more be your light by day;
by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
All: Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Scripture Reading – Matthew 4:12-17

Justin Spano

Leader: A reading from the Gospel of Matthew:

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in bleakness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Leader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people
All: Thanks be to God

Sermon

“Where were you radicalized?”

Brigid Dwyer

Musical Response

Christ Has Broken Down the Wall – Mark A. Miller – W&S 3122
Verse 1
Christ has broken down the wall
Christ has broken down the wall
Let us join our hearts as one
Christ has broken down the wall

Verse 2
We’re accepted as we are
We’re accepted as we are
Through God’s love all is reconciled
We’re accepted as we are

Verse 3
Cast aside your doubts and fears
Cast aside your doubts and fears
Peace and love freely offered here
Cast aside your doubts and fears

Verse 4
We will tear down the walls
We will tear down the walls
God has called us one and all
Christ has broken down the wall

Closing Prayer and Benediction

Brigid Dwyer

Leader: God be with you
All: And also with you
Leader: Let us pray:
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting.
All: Amen.

Leader: Let us bless the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

Leader: Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to God from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. And may the blessing of God Almighty be with us all, evermore.
All: Amen.

Sending Song

God Who Began a Good Work in You – Words and Music: Jon Mohr – TFWS 2163

God who began a good work in you
God who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it
Will be faithful to complete it
God who started the work
Will be faithful to complete it in you