Today’s service was accidentally streamed in two parts. You can watch the first part here and the second part here.
If you are watching our live stream this morning, you are invited to find a candle, so that we can all light candles at the same time. Later in the service, we will be sharing virtual communion. Have bread and grape juice or wine on hand–or elements that are roughly equivalent. Granola bar and a juice box? Jesus’ body is broken for you. Goldfish crackers and pop? Jesus’ body is still broken for you. Muffin and coffee? Yep, Jesus’ body is broken for you! We are one in Christ even when we aren’t able to share the same loaf of bread.
CALL TO WORSHIP (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
May we remember
That God created.
May we remember
That God liberated.
May we remember
That God fed.
May we remember
That God is still creating,
God is still liberating,
And God is still feeding us.
Let this be our story.
Let this be where we begin.
Let us worship holy God.
OPENING PRAYER
Direct and help us, O Lord, in all our deeds, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
CALL TO CONFESSION
You command us, Lord of all, to love our neighbors as ourselves. You instruct us to forgive as we have been forgiven. You put us in community that we might support and care for each other. We recognize how often we fail to obey your commandments and do your will. We give thanks that you never turn away a repentant sinner. Confident in your mercy, we come to you now to confess our sin and ask your forgiveness.
Please join me in the prayer of confession, followed by a silent personal prayer.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
Holy God, we admit to remembering the wrong things. We remember worldly lessons like, “Everyone for themselves,” “An eye for an eye,” and “All is fair in love and war.” And yet, we forget to forgive 70 times seven, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to live like the body of Christ.
Why is it so hard to remember the right things?
Release us from our muscle memory and re-center us in a new place, a fresh place, a space grounded in your love. Help us to receive your word anew, and to consider stewardship not with the world’s rules, but with your rules. Help us remember. With hope we pray, amen.
Moment of silent prayer–people of God, what do you confess this week?
Assurance of Pardon
When we turn to God, the Lord freely pardons. We can trust in God and not be afraid. Friends, believe the good news, through Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
Holy God, there is something about scripture that stirs us awake. For when we hear of a deep love that made room for everyone at the table, we remember that we are hungry. And when we hear of manna raining down in the desert, we remember that we are lost. There is something about scripture that stirs us awake, and it feels like hunger and it looks like hope. So stir us awake, oh God. Remind us that this story starts with love and ends with love. We are hungry, which is to say, we are listening. Amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 22:1-23
Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people.
Then Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.
When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.
Consider:
- What do you think motivated Judas to betray Jesus? Was it the money or something else?
- When have you been tempted to betray your own beliefs in exchange for something?
- Why do you think that Jesus still welcomed Judas to the table and ate with him, even knowing what Judas had done?
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 16:1-18
The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?’ And Moses said, ‘When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.’
Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.” ’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” ’
In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: “Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.” ’ The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.
You can listen to Pastor Leia’s sermon, “Remember the Holy Feast of ‘Enough’,” here.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (JILL DUFFIELD)
Lord, as we see images of destruction, of communities in flames and entire towns destroyed by winds and water, we pray for those impacted by natural disasters. Sustain the weary, strengthen the weak, empower your people to be the helpers to those desperate for relief. Do not let us shrink from loving our neighbors now and through the long months of recovery that are yet to come.
We remember, too, the many among us feeling crushed under the weight of this persistent pandemic. Comfort those who grieve, heal the sick, encourage the caregivers, provide for your people unable to make ends meet. Make of your followers those who fish for people and mend the communal safety nets that keep your children from drowning when the storms of life churn.
Knowing that we are put in community to care for each other, that our fate is inextricably tied to that of others, we pray to be peacemakers and ambassadors of reconciliation, to work for ways of life together that bind up rather than tear down, to be those who let loose mercy and overflowing justice.
Help us to find and gather and share manna so that all who search will find what they have been looking for, all who mourn will be comforted, and all who hunger will be fed. Help us to live like we believe there could be enough. Help us remember that love, like manna, is meant to be shared, not hoarded away or saved for only a select few.
Amen.
Invitation to the Table and The Great Thanksgiving
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
Response: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
Response: We lift them to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Response: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We know the story, that on the last night with his friends, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, telling them, “Take this and eat. It is my body, broken for you.” He also poured a cup, telling them, “This is the new covenant, sealed in my blood. Drink from it, all of you, and remember me.”
Throughout the centuries, across the nations, even when we have been divided by time and place, every time we break bread together in Jesus’ name, we take part in the meal he shared with his friends so long ago. We may be separated now, as we continue to practice physical distancing and as we continue to be unable to take part in church, work, school, family life, or social activities in the way we used to, but Christ is always with us, even to the end of the age, and Christ is in the meal that we are sharing now, no matter what form it might take.
Please pray with me.
Creator God, prayer has never been easy for us. Our mind flutters with news updates and questions of faith—our thoughts like a river that won’t stop. So today we take a deep breath—inhaling your name into the cobwebs of our lungs, willing your presence to wipe away the dust of self-doubt and fear. And with that breath, we ask you that you would tell us again:
Tell us again how you moved over the waters.
Tell us again how you led them with a pillar of fire.
Tell us again of that still, small voice,
And then tell us of the prophets.
Tell us of Mary and Joseph and that angel chorus.
Tell us of the blind man, and the leper, and the crowds that you healed.
Tell us what it was like to walk on water.
Tell us of the little children that ran to you.
Tell us of the justice you preached.
Tell us of the hosannas and the palm branches.
Tell us again of the love that changed the world.
Tell us again, because we are forgetful people.
It is part of our human nature;
That is why we long for this space week after week,
So that we might be reminded of who we are and whose we are.
So tell us again.
For our anxiety is loud. Our scarcity is loud. Our fear is loud. Our anger is loud. Our shame is loud. Our loneliness and self-doubt are loud. Mental illness is loud. Doubt is loud. So tell us again.
Tell us again how it all began.
Tell us of manna in the wilderness and the disciples around the table.
Tell us again of your love for this world.
Tell us again how it changed everything.
Tell us again, so that we have the strength to tell others.
And as you do, pour out your Spirit on this table.
Tether your Spirit to our fragile bones.
Be with us in these ordinary symbols of extraordinary love,
And give us the strength to remember your story anew.
As we prepare to eat together as your disciples did,
We remember and we speak that truth out loud, praying together:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Virtual Communion
Remember that this is the body of Christ, broken for you.
Remember that this is the blood of Christ, shed for you.
HYMN Christians, We Have Met to Worship
1 Christians, we have met to worship
and adore the living God;
will you pray with all your power,
while we try to preach the word?
All is vain unless the Spirit
of the Holy One comes down;
Christians, pray, and holy manna
will be showered all around.
2 Is there here a trembling jailer,
seeking grace and filled with fears?
Is there here a weeping Mary
pouring forth a flood of tears?
Tell them all about the Savior,
how in Christ the lost are found.
Pray, oh pray, and holy manna
will be scattered all around.
3 Let us love our God supremely,
let us love each other, too;
let us pray for all earth’s people
till our God makes all things new.
Christ will call us home to heaven,
at the table we’ll sit down;
Christ will welcome us and serve us
living manna all around.
INVITATION TO OFFERING (Micah 6:6-8)
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before God with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
God 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?
As a sign of our commitment to do as God requires, we worship God with our morning’s offering.
MORNING OFFERING
If you are able to, please consider mailing your offerings to the church (210 Smith Street). Alternatively, there is a link at the top of this page that will take you directly to a secure page where you can make a one-time donation. We appreciate your generosity as we seek to continue our mission and ministry throughout the community during this difficult time.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art, LLC)
Gracious God, as we come to you today in prayer, we admit that giving is complicated. At times it is easier to remember our shame or guilt around giving, as opposed to your joy or generosity. We all have our money narratives, and they affect us in different ways. So today as we offer our gifts to you, we pray that you would re-center our narrative. Remind us that we do not give out of shame or guilt. We do not give out of obligation. We do not give to feel worthy. And we do not give to buy your grace. We give out of a desire to participate. We give as a sign of gratitude. We give because we belong to one another. We give to build a more just and equitable world. We give because we love, and that’s what love does. So take these gifts and remind us that we belong to one another. Remind us that all money narratives are welcome at this table. Remind us that whatever shame or guilt we bring with us will be washed away with your empathy and love. Remind us, and then help us to build that more beautiful world. In hope we pray, Amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art LLC)
The story of God calls us to remember—
that creation was made good,
and Sabbath is necessary.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that we belong to one another,
for we are bone of bone and flesh of flesh.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that reconciliation between siblings is holy,
and slavery of any kind is evil.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that the wilderness is real,
and that God will be with us—
raining down manna and speaking in a still, small voice.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that love looks like healing the sick,
eating with the outcast,
making room for the children,
and seeing the unseen.
The story of God calls us to remember—
because if we forget, we risk making God, love, and reconciliation small.
So as we remember, may we declare—
we believe in a God who made all things good,
who stands with the suffering,
walks with us in the wilderness,
sees the overlooked,
loves with an untamed heart,
and makes room for all at God’s table.
Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May God’s countenance be lifted upon you and give you peace.
Remember that God’s grace is boundlessly offered to us
even if we’re ungrateful
even if we’ve betrayed those we love
even if we’re not really sure what to do with it.
God saw us through the wilderness
and God will see us through again.
From wherever you are, serve the Lord: Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit.
VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
If you are using this page to follow along with today’s worship service while it is being live streamed, please join us for virtual coffee hour! Turn on your video camera and join us after the benediction with this link. You could also join over the telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting code 146 874 134, followed by the password 075003.