Gathering Music
“I Will Call Upon the Lord” (x2) FWS 2002
Words & Music: Michael O’Shields
I will call upon the Lord, (echo)
Who is worthy to be praised, (echo)
So shall I be saved from mine enemies (echo).
The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock!
And may the God of my salvation be exalted!
The Lord liveth, and blessed be the rock!
And may the God of my salvation be exalted!
Call to Worship
Juyoun Seo
(adapted from Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins, UCC Worship Ways)
Leader: Come, a great cloud of witnesses surrounds us as we gather.
People: May the lingering echo of our ancestors resound in our songs.
Leader: May their stories and the stories of our community open a space for the Spirit to enter us anew.
People: Drawing strength from those who have gone before us, cultivating hope from those who journey with us, may we find ourselves re-membered.
Leader: May the God of every generation form us anew for this generation.
All: And may a new joy rise in our lives and in the life of the world.
Opening Song
O Wondrous Sight! O Vision Fair (UMH 258) – Sarum Breviary, 1495
- O wondrous sight! O vision fair
of glory that the church shall share,
which Christ upon the mountain shows,
where brighter than the sun he glows! - From age to age the tale declares
how with the three disciples there
where Moses and Elijah meet,
the Lord holds converse high and sweet. - The law and prophets there have place,
two chosen witnesses of grace;
We hear God’s voice come from the cloud
proclaims God’s only Son aloud. - With shining face and bright array,
Christ deigns to manifest that day
what glory shall be theirs above
who joy in God with perfect love. - And faithful hearts are raised on high
by this great vision’s mystery;
for which in joyful strains we raise
the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.
Prayer
Josephine Tunda
(adapted from Christine Jerrett)
God of glory,
you took your friends with you
when you went to pray on the mountain.
You revealed to them
the glory of Jesus, your beloved child.
We do not live on mountaintops,
but we, too, would glimpse your glory
in the ordinary days of our lives,
and in the community of Jesus,
in which you have chosen to dwell.
We look for you among people who have
their power restrained
their rights taken away
their voices silenced.
We look for you among those who
live on the streets of our cities,
whose housing is inadequate,
whose homes are not safe.
We look for you among those who
grieve a past that is no more
and fear a future that seems full of loss.
We look for you among in the pages of history,
in the stories of our ancestors,
and in the faces of the people in this very room.
God who meets us
in the broken places,
let the love of Christ seep deep into our lives,
so we may carry that love into the bleakest places
and point to the One whose brokenness is our salvation.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
Joyce Hylton Spence
Luke 9:28-36
Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“Who is standing with you?”
Adrian Mendoza
Musical Response
“Find us Faithful” – Written by Steve Green
We’re pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road,
And those who’ve gone before us line the way.
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary:
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race not only for the prize.
But as those who’ve gone before us,
Let us leave to those behind us.
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe.
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind,
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe.
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
Blessing
Adrian Mendoza
Sending Song
“The Blessing” – Kari Jobi
Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes
The Lord bless you
And keep you,
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you.
The Lord turn Her
Face toward you,
And give you peace.
Amen.
May God’s favor be upon you
And a thousand generations,
And your family,
And your children,
And their children,
And their children.
May God’s presence go before you
And behind you,
And beside you,
All around you,
And within you.
God is with you.
God is with you.
In the morning,
In the evening,
In your coming,
And your going,
In your weeping,
And rejoicing,
God is for you.
God is for you.
God is for you.
Drew Theo Chapel 