Gathering Music

“Make me a channel of your peace”

Lynn Van Nosdall

1 Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
where there is injury, your healing power,
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

2 Make me a channel of your peace:
where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light,
and where there’s sadness, ever joy.

3 O, Spirit, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love with all my soul.

4 Make me a channel of your peace:
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving to all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

*Reflection Verse

Faith Waters

Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them. (Hebrews 13:3)

Prayer

Monica Mafarachisi

*Reflection Verse

Bibi Kinkumba

Only love–the embodied commitment to struggle together for right, mutual relation–can work the miracle required to create justice in the midst of exploitation and peace in the midst of violence. Carter Hayward

Call to Worship

Dadirayi Hove

Adapted from MLK’s Speech “We Shall Overcome”

Leader: Let us speak of Mercy and Justice
Congregation: For these are the things suitable for our God.
Leader: We shall overcome.
Congregation: We shall overcome some day.
Leader: We will walk hand in hand.
Congregation: We shall walk hand in hand some day
Leader: We shall live in peace.
Congregation: We shall live in peace someday
Leader: Let us follow the ways of mercy and justice, for they are the ways of peace and community.
Congregation: Let us lift up our hearts in conviction and our voices in commitment and praise to the Lord of peace and the God of justice; the hope and healing of humanity.
Leader: I do believe deep in my heart that we shall overcome
Congregation: Oh yes, deep in our hearts, we do believe that we shall overcome; we can survive, there is no other way. We must overcome today.

Opening Song

“At Calvary”

1 Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary.

Refrain:
Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty–
At Calvary.

2 By God’s Word at last my sin I learned–
Then I trembled at the Law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned to Calvary. [Refrain]

3 Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus ev’rything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary. [Refrain]

4 O the love that drew salvation’s plan!
O the grace that brought it down to man!
O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. [Refrain]

*Reflection Verse

Faith Waters

I do not believe the opposite of poverty is wealth. I believe the opposite of poverty is justice. Bryan Stevenson

Prayer Poem

Cynthia Cupe

Scripture Readings & Sermons

Reading: Micah 6:8

Samantha Nyachoto

8God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Sermon

Albarka Wilkili

Reading: Psalms 71:20-21

Alex Matlins

20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.

21You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again.

Sermon

Melissa McHenry

Reading: Zechariah 7:9

Rutendo Makarau

9Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another;

Leader: This is the Word of God for the People of God.
All: Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Jesman Sanyangore

Musical Response

“Your Grace and Mercy”

James Rufflin

*Reflection Verse

Neena Watson

Restorative justice calls for a more healing stance from which to carry out justice. Finding that stance calls for vision and hard work. It depends on learning more about crime and people caught up in it. It demands searching for better ways than imprisonment. It requires the painful work of learning how to live together well. It invites those who have the will to work together in finding the ways. Susan Sharpe

Blessing

Prof. Charlotte Mallory and Dobyo Amos

Sending Song

“We Shall Overcome” – Negro Spiritual

Lynn Van Nosdall

We shall overcome, We shall overcome,
We shall overcome, some day. Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We’ll walk hand in hand, We’ll walk hand in hand.
We’ll walk hand in hand, some day. Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We shall live in peace, We shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace, some day. Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid.
We are not afraid, today. Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day.