May 10 @ St. Paul's UMC: Worship

Zaandijk, Netherlands

Fifth Sunday of Easter/Mother’s Day

Today’s Meditation: “Human beings cannot endure emptiness and desolation; they will fill the vacuum by creating a new focus of meaning.” --Karen Armstrong

Welcome—Pastor Charles                    

Call to Worship—Pastor Charles (Leader) and Claudia Mills (People)

Congregation is encouraged to read People’s response aloud on Mute setting

Leader:  Praise the Lord!

People:  The Lord’s name be praised.

Leader:  Jesus said, “I am come that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

People:  We come to worship, to discover again what it means to live abundantly in Christ.

Leader:  We praise you, Gracious Lord, for revealing life as it was meant to be.

People:  We come to worship, to love you, and to say yes to your amazing possibilities.

All:        May it be so. Amen and amen.

A Sharing Prayer—Claudia Mills (Congregation is encouraged to read aloud on mute setting)

Lord, we call you gracious because of your merciful kindness in bringing Jesus to us through the stories of the Bible. We give thanks for Mary, his mother, who with you was the instrument of his coming. Without this great gift our lives and the life of the world have little meaning. Draw us near to your Holy Family as we worship, that though we be apart from one another here, we may know that we are never apart from you. Amen.

Community prayer requests, concerns, and celebrations—Pastor Charles

Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer—Pastor Charles (Congregation is encouraged to pray The Lord’s Prayer aloud on mute setting)

Scripture Lessons—Claudia Mills

Gospel Lesson: John 8:12

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5:14-16

Epistle Lesson: 1 Peter 2:2-9

Musical Offering: “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” by Fanny J. Crosby and John R. Sweeney / Performed by Charlotte Ritche and Ivan Parker with the Gaither Vocal Chorus

                                             

Sermon: “The Rest of the Story”—Rev. Dan Daniels

Celebration of Ministry: Pay It Forward Fund--Pastor Charles/PATH Fund--Scott Glancy

Closing Hymn: “This Little Light of Mine”--Christopher Wahl (Congregation is encouraged to sing along on mute setting)

Words for the Journey—Rev. Dan Daniels

Go forth knowing that the darkness of our isolation from one another cannot conquer the light of God’s Spirit which brings us together and through us shines outward to others. Amen.

Reminder: Gifts and tithes can be sent directly to Martha Batch. Contributions to the PATH Fund can be marked “PATH Fund” in the memo line. No donations to the Pay It Forward fund are needed at this time.