Gathering Music
“En La Lucha”
Words & Music: Mark Miller, OneLicense #A-729109
En la lucha hay vida
En la lucha esperanza
En la lucha hay vida
Siempre hay siempre hay esperanza
Cantamos en la lucha
Cantamos por la justicia
Cantamos por nuestras vidas
Siempre hay siempre hay esperanza
Call to Worship
Yireh Ha
Adapted from Rev. Amber Henry Neuroth
One: There are many voices that call for our fear.
All: We will listen to Jesus’ words, “Don’t be afraid!”
One: There are many voices that call for our hate.
All: We will listen to Jesus’ call to “Love God and love our neighbor.”
One: There are many voices that call for our silence.
All: We will listen to the prophets’ challenge to be repairers of the breach.
One: We join together in this season to listen for God in our midst.
All: As one community, we worship God. Amen.
Opening Song
“Be Thou My Vision”
Versifier: Eleanor Henrietta Hull; Translator: Mary E. Byrne
Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart.
Not be all else to me save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping my treasure Thou art.
Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
Great God of heaven my treasure Thou art
Great God of heaven my victory won
Now I reach heaven’s joys O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart whatever be fall
Still be my vision O ruler of all.
Poem
“Worth Praying To” – From M. Jade Kaiser, enfleshed
Nathan Shroyer
Any god worth praying to
Any divine worth honoring
Anything that can remotely call itself sacred
while children are bombed, hungry and afraid
Anything worth its dirt in devotion
is already letting out a primal scream
is already furious and fuming and has been for years
is already placing their body, their livelihood,
their anything and everything on the line
Desperate with love
Desperate with grief
Desperate with rage
While too many sanctuaries are filled only with silence
Too many choirs sing of everything but freedom
Too many prayers for peace aim to transcend
as blood seeps further into the dirt
Come, come, come,
let us worship at the feet of our children
Ten small toes, ten holy pleas for humanity
To little else can I bow
Scripture Reading – Exodus 24:12-18 & 32:1-6
Benin Shekawongo
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there; I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up onto the mountain of God. 14 To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the Israelites. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
32:1-6 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took these from them, formed them in a mold,[a] and cast an image of a calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” 6 They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.
Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“unvote the ungods”
Dr. Gladson Jathanna
Musical Response
“I Choose Love”
Words: Lindy Thompson, Music: Mark A. Miller, OneLicense #A-729109
In the midst of pain, I choose love.
In the midst of pain, sorrow falling down like rain,
I await the sun again, I choose love.
In the midst of war, I choose peace.
In the midst of war, hate and anger keeping score,
I will seek the good once more, I choose peace.
When my world falls down, I will rise.
When my world falls down, explanations can’t be found,
I will climb to holy ground, I will rise.
In the midst of pain, I choose love.
In the midst of pain, sorrow falling down like rain,
I await the sun again, I choose love.
Blessing
Dr. Gladson Jathanna
Sending Song
“God of Grace and God of Glory”
Words: Harry Emerson Fosdick, Music: John Hughes
God of grace and God of glory
on the people pour thy power
crown thine ancient church’s story
bring its bud to glorious flower
Grant us wisdom grant us courage
for the facing of this hour
for the facing of this hour
Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn thy Christ assail his ways
Fears and doubts too long have bound us
free our hearts to work and praise
Grant us wisdom grant us courage
for the living of these days
for the living of these days
Cure thy children’s warring madness
bend our pride to thy control
shame our wanton selfish gladness
rich in things and poor in soul
Grant us wisdom grant us courage
less we miss thy kingdom’s goal
less we miss thy kingdom’s goal
Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore
let the search for thy salvation
be our glory evermore
Grant us wisdom grant us courage
serving thee whom we adore
serving thee whom we adore
