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Gathering Music

“Bless What is Breaking”

Affirmation of Faith

Salia Paul Kamara

(from The United Methodist Book of Discipline)

Leader: God in the Spirit revealed in Jesus Christ,
calls us by grace
All: to be renewed in the image of our Creator,
that we may be one
in divine love for the world.
Leader: Today is the day
God cares for the integrity of creation,
wills the healing and wholeness of all life,
weeps at the plunder of earth’s goodness.
All: And so shall we.
Leader: Today is the day
God embraces all hues of humanity,
delights in diversity and difference,
favors solidarity transforming strangers into friends.
All: And so shall we.
Leader: Today is the day
God cries with the masses of starving people,
despises growing disparity between rich and poor,
demands justice for workers in the marketplace.
All: And so shall we.
Leader: Today is the day
God deplores violence in our homes and streets,
rebukes the world’s warring madness,
humbles the powerful and lifts up the lowly.
All: And so shall we.

Leader: Today is the day
God calls for nations and peoples to live in peace,
celebrates where justice and mercy embrace,
exults when the wolf grazes with the lamb.
All: And so shall we.
Leader: Today is the day
All: God brings good news to the poor,
proclaims release to the captives,
gives sight to the blind, and
sets the oppressed free.
And so shall we.

Opening Song

“Welcome” – Zelman/Miller

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 seeds 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

Chantel Makarawa

(adapted from Alan Paton, South Africa)

Leader: O God, sharpen our perception, that we may see the needs of others.
Strengthen our listening, that we may hear their cries;
Open our hearts, so that they need not be without succor;
Let us not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong,
Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.
Show us where love and hope and faith are needed,
And use us to bring them to those places.
And so open our hearts
That we may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for you.
All: Amen.

Scripture Reading

Luke 4:14-30

Lerato Pitso

14Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18“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, 19to proclaim the year of God’s favor.” 20And Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23Jesus said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

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

(Sesotho)

14Yaba Jesu a kgutlela Galelea a tletse matla a Moya o Halalelang; botumo ba hae ba phatlalla tikolohong yohle. 15A ruta matlung a bona a thapelo, a tlotliswa ke bohle.

16A ya Nasaretha, moo a holetseng teng, mme ho ya ka tlwaelo ya hae a kena ka tlung ya thapelo ka tsatsi la Sabatha, a ema, hore a tle a bale. 17A neelwa buka ya moporofeta Esaya, mme hoba a e phetle, a fumana moo ho ngotsweng, ho thwe:
18“Moya wa Morena o hodima ka
hobane a ntlotseditse
ho bolella mafutsana
molaetsa o molemo,
o nthometse
ho phatlalletsa bathopuwa
tsa tokoloho,
le difofu hore di tla tutuboloha,
le ho lokolla ba hateletsweng,
19le ho phatlalatsa lemo sa Morena
sa mehauhelo.”
20Hoba a kwale buka, mme a e kgutlisetse ho mothusi, a dula, mme mahlo a bohle ba ka tlung ya thapelo a eba hodima hae. 21A qala ka ho re ho bona: “Kajeno temana ena ya Mangolo e phethahetse moo le utlwang.”

22Bohle ba mo paka, ba makalla mantswe a mohau a tswang molomong wa hae, mme ba re: “Ana eo hase mora wa Josefa?”

23A re ho bona: “Ka sebele le tla mpolella maele ana, le re: ‘Ngaka, iphekole!’ Tsohle tseo re di utlwileng hore di etsahetse Kaperenauma, di etse le mona motseng wa heno.”
24Jwale a re: “Ruri ke a le bolella, ke re: Ha ho moporofeta ya amohelehang motseng wa habo.

25“Kannete ke a le bolella, ho ne ho ena le basadi ba bangata ba bahlolohadi Iseraeleng mehleng ya Elia, pula e sa ne ka dilemo tse tharo le dikgwedi tse tsheletseng, tlala e kgolo e le teng naheng eo yohle. 26Empa Elia ha a a ka a romelwa le ho ya mong wa bona, haese ho mosadi wa mohlolohadi, Sarepeta, naheng ya Sidone. 27Ho ne ho bile ho ena le balepera ba bangata Iseraeleng mehleng ya moporofeta Elisha, mme ha ho a ka ha hlwekiswa le ya mong wa bona, haese Mosiria Naamane feela.”

28Bohle ba ka tlung ya thapelo ba tlala kgalefo ha ba utlwa tsena, 29ba ba ba ema, ba mo kgarameletsa kantle ho motse, ba mo isa selomong sa thabana eo motse wa bona o hahilweng letswapong la yona, ba re ba a mo dihela, 30empa yena a phunyeletsa hara bona, a ikela.

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

Anthem

“Amazing Grace” – Music: Mark Miller

Sermon

“Passing Through”

Dean Tanya Linn Bennett

Musical Response

Sacrament of Holy Communion

Dean Tanya Linn Bennett
Servers: Sam Smith, Rok Choi

Liturgy: Jeanyne Slettom, Process and Faith

Leader: Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
All who come to me shall not hunger,
and all who believe in me shall not thirst.

With Christians around the world
and throughout the centuries,
we gather around these symbols
of bread and wine—simple elements
that speak of nourishment and transformation.

Singing: You are holy, you are whole.
You are always ever more than we ever understand.
You are always at hand.
Blessed are you coming near;
blessed are you coming here
to your church in wine and bread,
raised from soil, raised from dead.
You are holy, you are wholeness, you are present,
let the cosmos praise you Lord!
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah,
our Lord!

Leader: Let us pray.
Loving God, we thank you
that you are as close to us as breath,
that your love is constant and unfailing.
We thank you for all that sustains life,
and especially for Jesus Christ,
who teaches us how to live out
an ethic of justice and peace,
and for the promise of transformation
made manifest in his life, death and resurrection.

We remember on the night
when Jesus and the disciples
had their last meal together,
Jesus took the bread, gave thanks,
and gave it to the disciples,
saying “This is my body,
which is broken for you.
Take and eat it, and as often as you do, remember me.”

In the symbol of the broken bread, we participate in the life of Christ
and dedicate ourselves
to being his disciples.

In the same way he took the cup,
and after giving thanks
he gave it to the disciples, saying:
“Drink this, all of you.
This cup is the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

In the symbol of the cup, we participate in the new life Christ brings.

We ask you to bless this bread and this cup.
Through this meal, make us the body of Christ,
that we may join with you in promoting the well-being of all creation.

All: Amen.

Communion Hymns

Blessing

Dean Tanya Linn Bennett

Sending Song

“Draw the Circle Wide” – Gordon Light/Mark Miller

Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
No one stands alone,
we’ll stand side by side.
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide

Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still.
Let this be our song: no one stands alone. Standing side by side,
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide

In your sadness and in your grief
From all the pain
It seems there’s no relief
We will hold you
Until the storm subsides
We’ll draw the circle,
draw the circle wide!

Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still.
Let this be our song: no one stands alone. Standing side by side,
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.