Image: close up of crystal. Worship format and original content: Rev. Kathryn M. Schreiber ©2022.
We Gather
“For God is good – or rather, of all goodness God is the Fountainhead.” – Athanasius of Alexandria, 4th century Greek Church leader and theologian
Prelude “Panis Angelicus” (Ian)
Welcome and Acknowledgements (pastor)
Welcome to our 6th Sunday of Easter worship service! Everyone is welcome here! Welcome guests. Through Jesus Christ, we are called together as the Beloved Community. We honor this holy ground, unceded territory of the Lisjan-Ohlone people, and continue to support the protection of their ancient, sacred shellmound nearby.
Altar Flowers (For the Glory of God)
Invocation (liturgist)
We are gathered in Faith – drawn by the Light of Christ.
We are gathered in Hope – trusting in God’s goodness.
We are gathering in Love – upheld by the Beloved Community.
May God’s Glory shine upon us!
May we be uplifted and blessed!
Amen.
As Pastor Kathryn lights the Christ Candle and Altar Votives, let us remember those who are not physically present, but with us in spirit or thought. Amen.
Light The Christ Candle (pastor)
Welcoming Those Not Physically Present (pastor lights votives)
Votive Lighting Music (Ian)
Time for Children “God’s Goodness” Taking comfort in God’s goodness
Passing the Peace (all share gestures and words of peace)
We Rest in God’s Grace
Prayer and Silence (pastor)
Let us shift into silence in God’s presence with this simple prayer based on Psalm 46:10.
Be still and know that I am God. (Breathe slowly)
Be still and know that I am. (Breathe slowly)
Be still and know. (Breathe slowly)
Be still. (Breathe slowly)
Be. (Breathe slowly)
(Breathe in silence)
Amen.
Assurance of Grace (pastor)
Grace is an unearned gift from God given to us for the well-being and uplift of all beings. Grace takes many forms. Sometimes it arrives directly; sometimes we encounter it through others.
Across cultures and throughout the ages, God has given a few people amazing spiritual insight. God allows them to see ultimate potential. God also gives them the ability to describe in story and song, dance and ritual what they have perceived and pass these revelations onto us.
It is a grace to receive these precious gifts. May we be grateful for freely given wisdom, vision, and hope. Amen.
Special Music “Jesus Bids Us Shine” (Ian)
We Listen
Scripture: Revelation 21:10-11, 22-27, 22:1-5 (liturgist; version: CEB)
NOTES: “the Lamb” is a symbol for the Resurrected, Ascended, Eternal Jesus Christ.
[The angel] took me in a spirit-inspired trance to a great, high mountain, showing me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. The city had God’s glory. Its brilliance was like a priceless jewel, like jasper that was as clear as crystal.
I didn’t see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. The city doesn’t need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the rulers of the earth will bring their glory into it.Its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is vile and deceitful, but only those who are registered in the Lamb’s scroll of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb through the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve crops of fruit, bearing its fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and God’s servants will worship God. They will see God’s face, and God’s name will be on their foreheads. Night will be no more. They won’t need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will rule forever and always.
May God add a blessing to the reading and reflecting upon God’s Holy Word. Amen.
Sermon: “Luminous Hope”
Special Music “Bach BWV 768 Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig” (Ian)
We Pray
Pastoral Prayer (pastor)
Beloved God, Never-Ending Source of All that is Eternally Good, today ask for Your help in turning away from all that demotes our well-being. May we turn toward Your Dream for us. Illuminate us with Your brilliant, glorious light. Saturate our unhelpful ideas with a deep knowledge of Your foundational goodness, the ultimate reality that permeates the cosmos. Flood the wells of our souls with Your radiant hope, Almighty God. Amen.
Prayers of the People, Private Prayer, The God’s Prayer (pastor)
Offering of Praise “Doxology” (Ian; all) Before worship, please leave donations in the basket in the entryway or mail to the church.
Announcements (pastor) *Singing inside – masks on, softly * Next Sunday – outside only * Got grads? Please inform Pastor Kathryn for our Dads and Grads Sunday, June 19th
Closing Hymn: “Shall We Gather at the River” (Chalice #701) Words and Music by Robert Lowry, 1864. All verses.
Benediction (pastor; spontaneous)
Postlude solo (Ian)
The service is concluded.
Worship Resources:
(kms) All content prepared and written by Rev. Kathryn M Schreiber, unless attributed to another source.
Residency Acknowledgement: This content was written in Huichin Village, unceded territory of the Lisjan- Ohlone people, where I dwell and serve as a local church pastor. Please support indigenous rematriation efforts, the #LandBack movement, and give to Sogorea Te’ Land Trust Soghttps://sogoreate-landtrust.org/ and other non-profits that reform, balance, and heal relationships with our indigenous hosts. Thank you!
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Online Publishing Date: May 20, 2022.
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in the big love 