Preparation for Worship. For today’s worship, you will need 2 candles, a gathering of beautiful objects (for example, plants, stones, a small fountain, a silver pitcher, a large cross. pictures of beautiful or awe-inspiring places). If you want to celebrate communion, have some food and drink to share. The type of food and drink does not matter for they are merely symbols which help us celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Invitation. There are times when living the way of Jesus feels particularly hard. This week’s gospel reading reminds us that God’s constant love and the Spirit’s enduring presence is with us. We are never alone and never abandoned. So, don’t be intimidated. Continue doing good–living the way of Jesus.
The Worship of God
Light two candles in recognition of Christ’s presence. In our practice, one candle represents Jesus’ divinity and the other Jesus’ humanity.
Gathering for Worship
Passing the Peace
Say to one another, “May the Peace of Christ be with you.”
Respond by saying, “And also with you.”
Call to Worship
Come, let us gather in praise of the one who shows us the way:
The way of Christ is love.
Let us gather in thanksgiving for the one who teaches the truth:
That we were all made in God’s image and called good.
Let us worship the one who gives us life.
Blessed be our God, source of all creation.
Opening Prayer. The prayer will use the beautiful objects and/or images you have gathered. Touch or show each one in turn; repeating the first two lines of the prayer as often as needed to move through your objects and/or images.
One: This (name object) is not God.
All: Our God is within and beyond.
——when all objects/pictures have been noted—-
One: We are not God.
All: Our God is within and beyond.
God of all Creation,
out of your being all things were made,
yet in all things your being is uncontained.
Help us to see you
within all things,
within all people.
Help us to know that you are
beyond our understanding,
beyond our imagining,
from everlasting to everlasting. Amen.
Songs and Psalms of Praise and Prayer
Song of Praise
Joyful, Joyful We Adore You
Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before You,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Your works with joy surround You,
Earth and heav’n reflect Your rays,
Stars and angels sing around You,
Center of unbroken praise;
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Praising You eternally!
Always giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Loving Father, Christ our Brother,
Let Your light upon us shine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
God’s own love is reigning o’er us,
Joining people hand in hand.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.
A Reading from the Psalms
Psalm 66
Bless our God!
Let the sound of praise of God be heard!
God preserves us among the living,
and has not let our feet slip one bit.
Indeed God, you have tested us;
you have refined us like silver.
You brought us into a snare,
and laid burdens on our backs.
But you caused one to lead us;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us out to abundance.
I come to you with offerings.
I keep the promises I made to you,
the ones my lips uttered,
the ones my mouth spoke when I was in deep trouble.
I will offer the best to you….
Come and listen, all you who honor God;
I will tell you what God has done for me:
I cried out to God with my mouth
but praise was on the tip of my tongue.
If I had cherished evil in my heart,
my Lord would not have listened.
But God did hear me.
God listened to my voice in prayer.
Blessed be God!
who has not turned away my prayer
or withheld faithful love from me.
Prayers for Others. As we did last week, pause after each line to give voice to prayers as prompted.
Merciful God, who shelters us and guides us,
we give you thanks for…
God who comforts,
receive those who are fearful and lonely…
God whose love is steadfast,
be refuge for the ill, the dying, and those who care about them…
God of righteousness,
we ask for your wisdom and ways of justice to prevail
in our community, this nation, your world…
God who seeks our trust,
grow us and guide us in your ways that are life-giving in your world…
Amen.
Song of Praise
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Celebrating Communion
Communion. (Bread and wine were common foods during Jesus’ day. As we celebrate communion at home, use common food and drinks you have. The type of food and drink is not what matters, but it matters that you remember Christ as you share, eat, and drink.)
A Reading from the Gospels, Mark 14:22-24. While [the disciples and Jesus] were eating, [Jesus] took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”
Share what you have to eat. Before everyone eats, have someone say,
“This food represents the body of Christ. As we eat, we remember Jesus.”
Share what you have to drink. Before everyone drinks, have someone say,
“This drink represents the covenant Christ made with us that our sins will be forgiven. As we drink, we remember Jesus.”
Prayer of Thanksgiving. Dear God, thank you for your abounding compassionate love. Thank you for guiding and leading us through these difficult times. Thank you for always being with us. Amen.
Song. End communion by singing a hymn. You may want to sing Amazing Grace.
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
was blind but now I see.
The Gospel Lesson for the 6th Sunday of Easter
Listen to the gospel lesson and/or read below.
A Reading from John 14:15-21
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
Reflection “If You Love Me” from Tonya
Listen to Tonya’s reflection and/or read below.
When you hear the phrase “keep my commandments” what comes to mind?
The first thing that pops into my head is The 10 Commandments. Can you name them? (You can find them in Exodus 20 if you want to look them up.)
- You will have no other gods before me.
- You will not make idols to worship.
- You will not make wrongful use of the Lord’s name.
- You will remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
- You will honor your parents.
- You will not murder.
- You will not commit adultery.
- You will not steal.
- You will not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You will not covet what your neighbor has.
Good deal. Now what comes to mind when you hear Jesus say, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
The words “commandment” or “commandments” appear in John’s gospel just a handful of times. Jesus first utters the word to his disciples in chapter 12. He tells them that God has given him a commandment about what he is to say and what he is to speak. Jesus goes on to say that commandment is eternal life. Well, that’s God’s commandment for Jesus. What is Jesus’ commandments for us?
It is not hard to figure out. There’s no mystery to unlock. Take a look in John 13:34. Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Jesus says it again in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” So in chapter 14 when Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” Jesus is telling us, “If you love me, you will love one another just as I have loved you.”
What does it mean to love one another? It does mean you don’t want what your neighbor has. You don’t make up stories and tell lies about others. You certainly do not take what does not belong to you, whether that be a physical object, a relationship with another person, or a life (in other words, stealing, committing adultery, and murdering). And loving others does include honoring your parents. But when Jesus says, “Love one another,” this love goes further than just the last six rules of the 10 Commandments.
Loving Jesus means living a life shaped by the love of God. Take for example, the goals you have. What happens when you allow God’s love to shape your goals? How about the choices you make? What becomes of the outcome when you allow the decision to be shaped by God’s love? What about how you respond to others? Whether it be a qauick response or a long thought out one, what happens when you welcome God’s love to determine your responses? When we allow our lives to be shaped and influenced by the love of God, then that’s when we show our love for Jesus.
Loving others means you look at others through the lens of love. How does life change when you look at it through the lens of love? If love governs your perception of others, what difference is made? If love motivates your judgment of others, what difference is made? If love facilitates your understanding of others, what difference is made? I dare say, a life-changing difference is made not only for you, but also for others.
As those who have chosen to live the Way of Jesus Christ, we have been given direct instructions. Jesus doesn’t invite or suggest here. Jesus doesn’t say, “If you love me, you will consider my invitation.” Nor does Jesus say, “If you love me, you will mull over my suggestions.” Loving one another is not an invitation, nor a suggestion; it is not a recommendation, nor advice. Loving one another is a command from Jesus; it is a requirement. Just as God gave Jesus the command of eternal life, Jesus gives us the command to love one another. How much? “Love one another,” Jesus says, “as I have loved you.” We have nothing at all to lose by loving one another, yet we lose everything when we do not.
It is a tall order. It is difficult to carry through. But it is an order we can fulfill with our lives. Jesus doesn’t expect us to handle this on our own. The Holy Spirit of God comes to us and abides with us and in us. The Spirit points us to the truth of God’s love. The Spirit of God encourages to abide in God’s love and thus love one another. And we need not fear doing this on our own. God will never abandon us. Never.
The greatest truth in all the world is the love of God. The gospel of John keeps on teaching us this. The love of God was there at the beginning of time and will continue through all eternity. God’s love is the truest thing in all the world.
Questions for Reflection:
What makes it difficult to love others?
What are some ways we show our love for others during this pandemic?
How do we learn to love others?
Prayer of Thanksgiving. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s love and ask God to help our church family grow deeper and deeper in love.
Affirmation and Blessing
Song of Faith
Just as the Tide
Just as the tide creeps over silver sand
flooding the bay with slow and steady gain,
like brightening dawn across the eastern land,
certain and sure is love that comes again.
When threat and fear conspire friends to betray,
and bitter failure every hope has slain,
when broken trust makes dark the dismal day,
Jesus, speak of the love that comes again.
As sure as tide and dawn your love has come,
come to redeem our failures and our pain;
Jesus, come now, and find in us a home,
revive us with the love that comes again.
Sending Out
May the blessings of the One who is the Way be with you in the days to come.
May God guide your feet wherever you go.
May the blessings of Jesus who is your Life be with you in the days to come.
May Jesus lead you by the hand to those who are your sisters and brothers in need.
May the blessings of the Spirit of Truth be with you in the days to come.
May you journey with the Spirit to that Way which is everlasting.
Closing Song. In our tradition, we close worship by singing the first verse of Blest Be the Tie. Mindy starts us each week, and so she does today as well.
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.
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Credits: The image is from the Alliance of Baptist website. The Call to Worship and Opening Prayer are from Seasons of the Spirit™ SeasonsFUSION Lent • Easter 2020, Copyright © Wood Lake Publishing Inc. 2019. Used by permission. The words to Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee were written by Henry Van Dyke (1933) and is set to the famous tune “Ode to Joy” which is the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (1827) final symphony, Symphony No. 9. Psalm 66 is based on a translation by Tonya’s Old Testament professor, Marvin Embry Tate, Jr. as printed in Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. It is read by Elizabeth and Michelle. Elizabeth created the video. All Things Bright and Beautiful was written by Mrs. Cecil F. Alexander and arranged by Richard Shephard. The organ was played by Tracy; the flute, by Tessa; and the handbells, by Tonya and Elizabeth. The singers were Ally, Laura, Kendall, Justin, Elizabeth, Tonya, and Mindy. ‘Mazing Mindy put all the instruments and voices together!!! Amazing Grace was written by John Newton (1807) and played by Aidan on the piano. The gospel was written by John and read by Jeffrey. Just as the Tide was written by Leith Fisher and is set to the tune, EVENTIDE. The hymn is sung by Mindy. The Sending Out was written by Thom Shuman and used by permission. Blest be the Tie was written by John Fawcett (1782) and sung by Mindy. Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-724755. All rights reserved.