Gathering Music
“I Thank You, Jesus” Kenneth Morris
Call to Worship
Francis Osuji
Adapted from Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
Leader: Create no images of God.
Accept the images
that God has provided.
All: They are everywhere,
in everything.
God is Change—
Leader: Seed to tree,
All: tree to forest;
Leader: Rain to river,
All: river to sea;
Leader: Grubs to bees,
All: bees to swarm.
Leader: From one, many;
All: from many, one;
Leader: Forever uniting, growing, dissolving—
All: forever Changing.
The universe
is God’s self-portrait.
Opening Song
“The God Of Abraham Praise” UMH 116
- The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest. - The great I AM has sworn;
I on this oath depend.
I shall, on eagle wings upborne,
to heaven ascend.
I shall behold God’s face;
I shall God’s power adore,
and sing the wonders of God’s grace
forevermore. - The heavenly land I see,
with peace and plenty blest;
a land of sacred liberty,
and endless rest.
There milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life forever grow
with mercy crowned. - The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and “Holy, holy, holy!” cry,
“Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!”
Words for Reflection
Rae Guthrie
From: “The Mind of God is Forever Changing,” hymn by John Bell
The mind of God is forever changing,
forever pondering what shall yet come true,
forever noting every child’s potential,
forever restless to make all things new.
The heart of God is forever changing,
forever moved by each cry of pain,
forever touched when we say we’re sorry,
forever yearning that we start again.
The world God made is forever changing,
forever moving between death and birth,
forever turning through the season’s cycle,
forever clothing the productive earth.
The love of God: this is never changing,
but brings to light all that God intends;
transforming those who are met by Jesus,
the love of God, never, ever ends.
Scripture Reading – Exodus 32:7-14
Yireh Ha
7 God said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 God said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. 10 Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O God, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that God brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And God changed God’s mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“Changing God’s Mind?”
Dr. Mark A. Miller
Choir Anthem
“I Believe” – Mark Miller
Seminary Choir
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Dr. Mark A. Miller and Beth Quick
Servers: Sharon Hausman, Hyunjun Jung
Adapted from rev. anna blaedel, enfleshed
Beloveds, We come to this Table because we are claimed in covenant
Because we are still learning what covenant and togetherness means
how it looks and moves and feels
Because we long for liberation
Because we thirst for justice
Because we know the need—fierce and urgent—
for grace and freedom and nourishment in our flesh and our bones
This is Christ’s table
and you are invited to bring your whole lives
and all are welcome here.
Because we remember:
On the night he was arrested
while the powers and principalities
of Empire, and supremacy, and dominance raged,
Jesus—
a brown skinned, radical, healer, community organizer, insurrectionist—
gathered people
invited their fears and longings
invited people into radical solidarity
justice-love-in-action
healing of and in the world
to which, for which, he gave his life over and over and over.
Jesus took bread
broke it
shared it, and said:
Take and eat: this is my body.
The bread of new life.
Share this, and remember.
Then Jesus took the cup
blessed it
gave thanks for it, and said:
Take and drink: this is the power of my life-blood.
The salve of salvation.
The cup blessing.
Share this, and remember.
And so, we do.
Calling on the spirit to move among us,
and to move through these signs,
We remember.
We offer.
We receive.
And we share in this nourishing feast.
Because we know how to nourish each other in ordinary and extraordinary ways.
Because we need each other
and we need this sacrament, this visible sign of life-giving grace, flowing and overflowing.
So, come. Come and share.
Sharing in the Bread and Cup
Communion Hymns
“Lord Prepare Me To Be a Sanctuary” FWS 2164
“One Bread, One Body” UMH 620
“Only Love” – Words: Martin Luther King Jr., Music: Mark A. Miller
Blessing
Dr. Mark A. Miller
Sending Song
“Child of God” – Words & Music: Mark A. Miller
No matter what people say
Say, or think about me
I am a child, I am a child of God!
No matter what people say
Say, or think about you
You are a child,
You are a child of God!
And there is no thing
Or no one who can separate
They can’t separate
You from the truth that
You’re someone you are family
You are meant to be
A child, a child of God
No matter what the world says
Says, or think about me
I am a child, I am a child of God!
No matter what the church says
Decisions, pronouncements on you
You are a child,
You are a child of God!
And there is no thing
Or no one who can separate
They can’t separate
You from the truth that
You’re someone you are family
You are meant to be
A child, a child of God
Drew Theo Chapel 