29 February 2024 – Chapel – Drew Theo Chapel

Gathering Music

“Sacred the Body” – Music: Mark A. Miller, Words: Ruth Duck

Call to Worship

Yeeun Kim

(adapted from Katherine Hawker, Liturgies Outsides)

Leader: The Spirit of God is in us.
All: Anointing us,
Leader: Sending us.
All: To bring good news,
to bind up,
to proclaim favor,
to comfort,
to provide,
to loosen.
Leader: The day of God is coming.
All: The day of God is here.

Opening Song

“Welcome” – Music: Mark A. Miller, Words: Laurie Zelman

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

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

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

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

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

Crying 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

Opening Prayer

Vincent Yohanna

(adapted from John Van de Laar, Sacredise)

Leader: In a cynical and despairing world, O God,
give us a prophetic voice
to proclaim your hope.

In a violent and angry world, O God,
give us a prophetic voice
to proclaim your peace.

In a dismissive and disinterested world, O God,
give us a prophetic voice
to proclaim your compassion.

In a lonely and inhospitable world, O God,
give us a prophetic voice
to proclaim your love.

In a grieving and weeping world, O God,
give us a prophetic voice
to proclaim your joy.

May we be so captivated by your hope, O God,
that we cannot help but to whisper, to shout,
to sing, and to enact,
the message of your reign
which is always coming into our world;
And may our lives be channels of your restoring grace
wherever we may go.

All: Amen.

Meditation

“Balada de Arboles y el Maestro” – Peter Lutkin

Jan Jusino Medina

Scripture Reading – Luke 4:18-19

Katherine Rollo

‘The Spirit of God is upon me,
because God has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

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

Introduction of Speaker

General Secretary Ashley Boggan

Sermon

“I Look upon All the World as My Parish”

David Worthington, Director of Global Relationships, John Wesley New Room

Choir Anthem

“Doxology For a New Day” – Mark A. Miller

Seminary Choir

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Dean Tanya Linn Bennett

Servers: David Worthington, Esther Inuwa

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

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
You formed us in your image
and breathed into us the breath of life.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
your love remained steadfast.
You delivered us from captivity,
made covenant to be our sovereign God,
and spoke to us through the prophets.
And so,
with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

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

Holy are you, and blessed is your child, Jesus Christ.
Your Spirit anointed him
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
and to announce that the time had come
when you would save your people.
He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us,
he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to his 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, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you;
this is the cup of the new covenant,
poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.”

And so,
in remembrance of these your grace-filled 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.

Singing: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his love.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world.
Through Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God,
now and forever.

Singing: Amen. Amen. Amen.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.