Healing Power: Connection

[0:00] Amen. Amen.

[1:00] Amen. Amen.

[1:34] Amen. Good morning, church.

[1:52] Good morning. May the grace and peace of our risen Lord be with you. Also be with you. My name is Scott. I'm one of your pastors here, and it's a thrill to welcome you to worship here at the Pendleton Center of United Methodist Church this morning.

[2:03] Whether you are joining us online or whether you are here in the sanctuary, know that you are loved by God and us and you are welcome here. So I'm here to share a few announcements. And so you see me with clipboards, which always gets everybody's attention.

[2:17] Everybody knows that we have fish fries coming up. So Carl made me do this. So it's really important because, you know, it takes a lot of hands to make our fish fries work, right? And so he also wants to make sure that everybody knows if you signed up last week, those didn't actually get onto the papers that are here on the clipboard, so you don't need to sign up again if you already signed up.

[2:39] However, if you have not signed up, then there's plenty of space on the paper for you. So please make sure that if you have time over these three weeks starting on September 30th that you find a way to contribute to these wonderful outreaches as well as a great social time with our fish fries.

[2:56] So I'm going to get these started here. Now, we also have a couple of things happening in the bulletin we want to draw your attention to. Scouting Ministries is having an open house on the 29th.

[3:07] So if you're interested with getting involved with scouts, then you can come to that particular meeting. And that is 7 o'clock. And if I don't have it right, then it's in the bulletin. The other piece is also the new membership class will be meeting immediately after this particular service in what some of us know as the bell room, but also in Connection Room 1.

[3:28] If you go to the restrooms off the fellowship hall, it's immediately to your left after them. So if you're interested in the new membership class, please show up after service.

[3:39] Now, let's open our hearts, give our very best to God in worship. Good morning, everyone.

[4:01] And good morning to everyone online. I was telling the Saturday service yesterday I was in the middle of something and looked up at the clock and said, oh my gosh, I've got to get ready. And so I said to them, we're talking about choosing life and leading causes of life and how interesting it is in our heads, the words we use.

[4:20] And as soon as they changed the words to, oh, I get to go be with my Saturday congregation. How much different you feel and how much faster you get ready. So it's good to be here with you this morning as well.

[4:31] We're going to open with holy ground and healer, and I'm going to invite you to stand. This is holy ground.

[4:55] We're standing on holy ground. For the Lord is present and where he is, is holy.

[5:15] This is holy ground. We're standing on holy ground.

[5:31] For the Lord is present and where he is, is holy.

[5:44] These are holy hands. He's given us holy hands.

[5:58] He works through these hands. And so these hands are holy.

[6:11] These are holy hands. He's given us holy hands.

[6:25] He works through these hands. And so these hands are holy.

[6:37] This is holy ground. We're standing on holy ground.

[6:52] For the Lord is present and where he is, is holy.

[7:06] This is holy ground. We're standing on holy ground.

[7:20] For the Lord is present and where he is, is holy.

[7:32] For the Lord is present and where he is.

[7:44] For the Lord is present and die for your blessings. You hold my every moment You calm my raging seas You walk with me through fire And heal all my disease I trust in you I trust in you I believe you're my healer I believe you are all I need

[8:49] I believe you're my portion I believe you're more than enough for me Jesus, you're all I need You hold my every moment You calm my raging seas You walk with me through fire And heal all my disease I trust in you I trust in you, Lord

[9:51] I trust in you I believe you're my healer I believe you are all I need I believe you're my portion I believe you're more than enough for me Jesus, you're all I need Nothing is impossible for you Nothing is impossible

[10:53] Nothing is impossible Nothing is impossible Nothing is impossible for you.

[11:14] Nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible for you.

[11:28] You hold my world in your hands. I believe you're my healer.

[11:40] I believe you are all I need. I believe you're my fortune.

[11:59] I believe you're more than enough for me. Jesus, you're all I need.

[12:13] More than enough for me. Jesus, you're all I need.

[12:33] You may be seated. You may be seated. Good morning. I'm Kathy, and it's great to be here.

[12:45] I'm one of the pastors, and glad to welcome you into this space of worship. Yesterday, you may know or not know that we have a boxer. This is Benny.

[12:56] I know you can't all see. This is Benny the boxer. And Benny is eight and a half years old. And when Nancy was talking about that kind of change in attitude about going, not going, or why you go, yesterday, he decided to play a game that we taught him, which is to dash around the circle that the house.

[13:19] You know, you go from the hallway to the living room, to the dining room, to the kitchen, and back around. And we have this game that we play. I go this way, he comes, and then I go this way, and he comes.

[13:31] It's just, it's a great way to wear him out. Except, yesterday, I turned, and he was supposed to be running, and there he was. Okay, this isn't working.

[13:43] So I take him for a walk. It's wonderful to be able to say that word out loud here, walk. So I take him for a walk. I think, well, how much energy can you have left?

[13:53] You've raced all over the house, and we walk over to the post office and come back around and doesn't he plop himself in someone's yard and just lay there? He's 85 pounds.

[14:08] If he doesn't want to go, he isn't going to go. And so, what do I do? I text my husband and say, could you drive over here and pick up this recalcitrant dog of yours?

[14:20] Well, as soon as he saw his dad in the car, he leaped up and got in the car. The change of, I'm not going to, oh, I get a ride, is just so, it's such a, there's such something that happens when he saw his dad's face.

[14:42] He's like that with us every morning. He acts like he hasn't seen us for 10 days. But he belongs to us, and that's where that comes from.

[14:52] And going in the car, even if it's to home, means that he's going with the person that he belongs to. Today, we're talking about how belonging and comfort and healing and relationships are a part of what helps us to grow and heal in our Christian faith.

[15:13] And I want to share these words with you, written by an anonymous person, because it doesn't say. Longing for community, longing for connection, longing for life to be breathed into me in conversation, in friendship, bright eyes and laughter.

[15:37] To know that I am not alone in my loneliness, that we have some common humanity, that is what it means to live.

[15:49] And people of God, that is what it means to be a community of faith, to be a place where we can belong regardless of the paperwork, regardless of whether our name is on a list, regardless of whether we help with the fish fries, although it's recommended.

[16:10] Let's pray. Lord, in this day and age, there are people who struggle with places to belong. They struggle with finding the energy that comes from being seen and known and loved.

[16:27] So, Lord, as we go through this worship service, may our hearts be lightened by our sense of belonging to you and that in belonging to you, we belong together with one another.

[16:42] So, guide us and keep us. We pray and give thanks in Jesus' name. Amen. Good morning.

[16:56] So, we've asked you for the past couple weeks and we've had people up here talking about offerings and givings. So, I'm asking you to not overtly consider your offerings this week, but to consider your gifts and your talents and how we can go out as a church, as a community, and be the hands and feet for God and the world.

[17:17] Coming into the fall, we have so many opportunities for you to take place and to help. So, we ask that you consider what it is that you might be able to do. Good morning.

[17:30] I just wanted to give you a quick little preface before I start this song. This has become my kind of personal anthem right now for God and I was teasing with the praise band, those who park next to me when I pull into my parking spot at work.

[17:46] I have to make sure I turn it down because I really blast this song when I'm driving to work every day and I'm praising in my own little car, but I'm excited to share it with all of you and I hope that you'll sing along.

[17:58] It's pretty upbeat, so get ready and I hope that you will sing. So Adrian's going to put the words on the wall and let's praise God together. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[18:08] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We worship the God who was, we worship the God who is, we worship the God who evermore will be.

[18:40] He opened the prison doors, he parted the raging sea, my God, he holds the victory. There's joy in the house of the Lord, there's joy in the house of the Lord today, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise, there's joy in the house of the Lord, our God is surely in this place, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise.

[19:24] We sing to the God who heals, we sing to the God who saves, we sing to the God who always makes the way, cause he hung up on that cross, then he rose up from that grave, my God still rolling stones away.

[19:48] There's joy in the house of the Lord, there's joy in the house of the Lord today, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise, there's joy in the house of the Lord, our God is surely in this place, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise.

[20:14] We were the beggars, now we're royalty, we were the prisoners, now we're run and free, we are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace, let this house of the Lord sing praise, cause we were the beggars, but now we're royalty, we were the prisoners, now we're run and free, we are forgiven, accepted, redeemed by his grace, let the house of the Lord sing praise, come on and sing with me, there's joy in the house of the Lord, there's joy in the house of the Lord today, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise, there's joy in the house of the Lord, our God is surely in this place, and we won't be quiet, we shout out your praise, there's joy in the house of the Lord, there's joy in the house of the lord today and we won't be quiet we shout out your praise there's joy in the house of the lord our god is surely in this place and we won't be quiet we shout out your praise we shout out your praise there is joy in this house today we shout out your praise we shout out your praise let everything that has breath praise the lord psalm 150 verse 6.

[22:27] so God, our creator, our redeemer, there truly is joy in the house here today.

[23:09] Help us be your hands and feet in the world. Help us to go out and make a difference. We offer you some of a little bit of what you've given us, and we thank you and we praise your name.

[23:25] Amen. You may be seated. As we express some of that joy in our conversation with God today, we also know that there is so much for which we give thanks, but there are also things that are heavy on us.

[23:48] I'm wondering if anyone has a praise they'd like to share so we can take part in that joy as church family, or if there is a burden that is on your heart that we might indeed help you carry as we pray together.

[23:59] Anyone have anything to share? Karen? We're having a new granddaughter. All right. Another joy. So for those of you who didn't hear that, Scott and Karen are celebrating a new granddaughter coming.

[24:11] Prayers for my sister and her family. Okay. So Carl is asking for prayers for his sister and her family as they are facing a crisis.

[24:25] Sarah? Our brother-in-law Tom is facing a lot of health issues. Okay. So it says brother-in-law. Brother-in-law Tom has some health concerns, and so we want to keep them in prayer as well.

[24:38] We have a new grandbaby boy. All right. Another grandchild on the way. All right. Others today. Yes.

[24:50] A young man who was a part of Camp Finley where my kids all went to camp and grew up 32. He could be 33.

[25:02] Died in a motorcycle accident. I did their wedding. I did, you know, just a real loss, a great young Christian man who was a beacon.

[25:13] Okay. So we pray for the Blakeslee family. The Blakeslee family who has suffered a loss, a young man today. Not today, but it suffered a loss of that young man who Pastor Kathy and her family know.

[25:27] Any others today? Amen. Then let us unite our hearts as we discern the presence and the movement of God together among us.

[25:40] Loving and gracious Lord, we come celebrating who you are. We know there is indeed joy in the house of the Lord today, that there are people here who have so much to celebrate.

[25:53] We all have things for which we give you thanks. We've lifted up grandchildren. We've lifted up relationships. We've lifted up the great ways in which you have worked in people's lives.

[26:07] Not only great works, people who had God-sized problems in which you moved and showed only you can make a way in places, and you did just that.

[26:18] But for those small gestures, those ways in which you offer those small things that put smiles on our faces or make our lives a little bit easier, or the ways in which you simply reassure us that you are there and you understand.

[26:34] We all have much for which we must give praise. So much we take for granted at times, but Lord, you know our hearts, and you know we love you, and we come here to praise and worship the one who is truly worthy.

[26:47] We thank you for your grace that has poured into our lives minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day, the ways in which we might fall short, but you have chosen to love on anyway.

[27:03] You have chosen to show up anyway, and we are overwhelmed and awestruck by the depth and the purity and the amazing power of that love.

[27:15] It's that love that we come counting on again today because we have those stories that have shown us who you are and the ways in which you can work.

[27:28] So Lord, for those things that we don't always understand, for those times where we need your guidance, for those times where the world is not clear and we need you to give us clarity, Lord, we come for all of those who need that today, for those whose hearts may be broken because a relationship isn't what it's supposed to be, because something disappointed them in their daily walk.

[27:56] Lord, only you can pace those hearts back together. Only you can strengthen them and give them a way forward. Lord, for those who are struggling in body or in mind because things are not at their best and people don't know wellness and wholeness.

[28:13] Lord, we come praying that you would indeed be the great physician, that you would define who we can be and not let the words or the world take us off course from that hope we have in you.

[28:28] Strengthen those who are caregivers as they continue to give of themselves to comfort those in need. But for all those we have named and for those we held in our hearts, Lord, our hope is to see them restored to wholeness.

[28:44] But all things happen according to your will. And we know that it is at times you take us to places that are hard for us. But help us to see how you are at work in our lives.

[28:58] Help us to lean into your presence even when it is hard that we might know you in the ways you have always promised you would be there for us. And Lord, for the situations we see around our world, struggles with violence, struggles with need, struggles with corruption, struggles with people who tap into their power in ways that is not legitimate.

[29:23] Lord God, help us to be indeed your light for this world. Help us indeed be the salt that you have said we would be. The difference makers. The ones who help those who do not know understand that there is a better way.

[29:38] There is a more excellent way. That there is salvation. There is hope. There is peace. That is only possible through you, our almighty God. Lord, let us indeed hear your call on our lives.

[29:53] That when you say we need someone there, whom shall we send? Let us always be ready to say, here I am.

[30:04] Send me. Lord God, we thank you. We thank you that you are in our lives as only you can be. And this is all possible only because of the great gift that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior.

[30:21] In his most precious name we pray. Amen. Amen. Good morning.

[30:43] The scripture today is from Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 through 4, and 12 through 16. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God's right side.

[30:58] Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died and your life is hidden with Christ and God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

[31:12] Therefore, as God's choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with each other.

[31:23] And, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. And over all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

[31:39] The peace of Christ must control your hearts, a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful, people. The world of Christ must live in you richly.

[31:50] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. What does it take for you to lose your cool?

[32:14] You know, sometimes we have the best intentions. We're going to enter into a conversation and we're going to do it gently and compassionately.

[32:26] And then, something happens. And we're just like, anybody familiar with that? Anybody? So, maybe you're driving to work and all of a sudden there's a traffic jam and you can see down the road that there's no possible way that you're going to get there on time.

[32:47] Now, with the Saturday service, we found out that at least one person was, well, can't do anything, might as well just sit back and wait. Of course, retired for, like, 25 years.

[33:01] Sometimes, it's the traffic and the car that goes down the shoulder at 40 miles an hour passing you, throwing rocks all over your car that might push you.

[33:14] But, you know, in the scripture this morning morning and in so many other scripture readings, it's amazing how many times we hear the words that we heard this morning.

[33:28] So, this morning we hear about how we should have love and patience and forgiveness and deal with each other gently even when we're offended.

[33:41] And so, you can look at places, Ephesians 4, let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion that may give grace to those who hear.

[33:57] From James, I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Humility, gentleness, and it goes on and on.

[34:09] Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.

[34:27] Encourage one another and build up. Why are there so many verses that say these things in the Bible? Any thoughts, any ideas? Why would God write all over this very basic part of our faith that these are ways and words that we should use?

[34:47] Anybody have any thoughts? We need lots of reminders. Because we stub our toes, we do all kinds of things in relationships, and often what happens and what comes immediately, not sometimes the best thought.

[35:06] Maybe it's because we didn't think. The world that we live in over the past, I would say, 10 or 20 years, it didn't start with COVID.

[35:20] There have been studies and research done about what isolation does to people, what abuse does to people, what a lack of belonging or encouragement does to people, and loneliness is the end result, and it's been shown that loneliness and depression can reduce your lifespan by years at a time, almost as long as if you were a lifetime smoker, or if you had other kinds of things that were wrong with you.

[35:56] It can be compatible, and a lot of people are like, ah, you know, if people have never felt that way, then you think, well, you know, sadness, you get over it. Well, and depression can be treated, there's no question about that, but where does it come from?

[36:14] And in the scripture reading that we hear this morning, and in this particular passage, there are, if you look around this verse in Colossians, you find a lot of, don't do this, and don't do that, and don't do this, and be moral, and pure, and it goes on and on.

[36:33] So what is this about? Jesus knew the importance of connection.

[36:45] He showed us by building the team of the disciples, by traveling with the disciples, they slept in community gathering, they ate meals together, they walked the hills and the valleys together, they prayed together, and yes, Jesus went off on his own, and others went off on their own, but Jesus modeled that faith is best in community.

[37:14] Faith is best when we have people to share it, and yet somehow we get in our own ways sometimes, and, you know, church, I've been a pastor long enough that I've seen church, not any one church, but churches kind of kick someone a little bit.

[37:36] That might sound kind of not right. Well, it isn't, and there's all kinds of reasons why it might happen, but the bottom line is the church is a community just like any other community.

[37:49] An organization, whether it's Rotary or any number of service organizations or social organizations, things get a little feisty once in a while, and people kind of, you know, elbow people.

[38:08] And it's not helpful, but it's real. So, the reality is, is that one of the reasons I feel that there are so many scripture readings around how we talk, how we behave, how we react, is because we're going to mess it up.

[38:26] We're going to get it wrong sometimes, and we're going to hurt people's feelings, or we're going to feel hurt. And I think that part of what the scripture is telling us is don't let it take your sense of belonging away from you.

[38:45] There was a woman in a church that I served down in Portville, New York. Anybody know where Portville is? Yay! Portville is right outside of Olean. It's a suburb of Olean.

[38:57] Take my word for it. As suburbs go on the southern tier, that's what it is. So, I was the pastor there for several years, and when there was, when it came to the point where my husband was going to be ordained, and it was time for him to have a church, then we were appointed to a different church.

[39:21] church, and this woman, just bless her, and she stood there and she was like, you know, I have loved you being our pastor.

[39:32] I love the pastor we had before. I might love the next pastor, I might not. I haven't decided because I don't know who it is. But you know what? She said, my church, not your church, my church.

[39:45] This is my community, this is where I belong. And as a widow, what she found over the years of having been widowed is that it was the church that looked after her.

[39:57] It was the church that wondered where she was when she wasn't there. It was the church who asked about her children or grandchildren or whatever the case might be.

[40:09] I've seen churches over the years have organizations and groups that are for a variety of people, people in recovery, people who are grieving, people who are going through divorce, people who are, I think there's one church that I know that has a group of people, I can't remember what the name of it was, but it was a group of people that basically were like empty nesters and gave them something to belong to, some place to be.

[40:43] And there are other churches, you know, that have different kinds of things. Why? Because church was created not for any one of our gain or purpose, but to glorify God and to give people a place to belong.

[41:01] As a 17-year-old, when I trekked down the hill from the Geneseo State University campus to the Geneseo United Methodist Church, having never attended church on any regular basis or hardly ever at all, what was I looking for?

[41:20] I was looking for a place to belong, a place where people would be family to me because I didn't live with my family. It was a place where it mattered to people.

[41:33] It was a place where we started a college student breakfast, and it mattered to people who came and who didn't come. And why was the breakfast started? Because the dining halls didn't open until 11 o'clock in the morning.

[41:48] So there was no food available if you got up and came to church on Sunday morning. Belonging. An author that I really look up to, Brene Brown, writes a book about belonging.

[42:03] And she talks about the fact that sometimes it's like the pulse that the doctors or nurses or technicians can discern listening to our necks, our chests, our arms, all the arteries and all of that kind of stuff.

[42:22] It's like if we don't have a place to belong, it gets quieter and quieter and quieter. And if we have a place to belong, it stays stronger and beats louder.

[42:40] In the chaplain world, this has been proven. And it's not just chaplains, but pastors who visit people in the hospital. It's been proven that to have someone come into your room and say, how are you?

[42:54] And I don't need to hear the medical stuff. You can tell me if it hurts. I just want to know how you are. How are you feeling in this bed, in this space, in this chair?

[43:05] recognizing that being in the hospital kind of takes away our power, takes away our sense of our own clothes, our own space, our own room, and that a pastor or chaplain coming in, not always, but can create a sense of being loved and cared for.

[43:28] And it doesn't have to be a pastor. Sometimes it's a layperson who comes in from a person's church, and you can see the transformation. People heal faster.

[43:40] People respond better. They're better patients. So there's nobody that's happier to see a pastor, a lay visitor, or a chaplain than the nurses and the other people on the floor, because they know this person's going to tend to that person's mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

[43:59] That is what the church is called to be. And just like us, when we lose our temper, or my goodness, you speak to your spouse or your child and you've got this harsh tone, you know, one of the advantages of being married 40 years is that I have the opportunity to go, whoa, not whoa about what he's saying, I'm talking whoa about what I'm saying, like, where's that coming from?

[44:23] I'm not mad at you. You know, and that's the great thing about sticking it out with someone, because you can then say, well, that wasn't very nice, I didn't really mean that, I don't know where that came from, because we do mess up, and we say things, we feel things, we get exhausted, we get impatient, we get frustrated, and it comes out, and that's the other reason why our faith community is so important, because as we prepare to come to this table, part of what this table is about, is it a reminder that if you've never been here, if you've always been here, when you come up here, or we come to you to give you communion, you belong, you belong even if you don't take communion, but this is a reminder of belonging, this is a reminder of the God who sets us free, the God who heals, the God who holds, the God who hopes, the God who gives new life, both now and in eternity.

[45:29] So this sermon, this message, we could look at this as God's choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, be tolerant with each other, and if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other as the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other, and over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

[45:59] The peace of Christ must control your hearts. It's a lifetime work, a peace into which you were called in one body, and be thankful people, the word of Christ must live in you richly.

[46:15] It's not, they are not words of shame, because shaming has no place in God's church. We are reminders to each other to live in love.

[46:29] We are reminders to each other that when we speak harshly, we can say we're sorry. There are people who come from families where they've never, ever, ever heard anyone apologize.

[46:43] I'm pretty sure I grew up not hearing my parents ever apologize for what they did, because by golly, they were right, all the time. But I found as I grew to adulthood, that there were times when I was angry because of something that had nothing to do with the people in my home, and I learned to apologize.

[47:07] I learned to take the blame for things that were my fault, and invite forgiveness. And in the church family, family, we're called to hear these words as invitations to be healers, invitations to be hopers, invitations to stick it out past some of the disappointments or the words you hear, and to know that you belong, and that together, as the people of God, we bump, we try to get ourselves situated, and God loves us, and there's enough love for everyone, and so as we serve, and as we pray, and as we live, the call is to be reminded, not in blame, and not in shame, but in hope, that inside of all of us, there is the goodness, and the wholeness, and the healing nature of God, and that is my prayer.

[48:20] Let's pray. Lord, may it be so. May each of us be both cracked open to hear the words of love and redemption, and cracked open to know that you bring us together to belong in this space and place, and you tell us and teach us and help us find our way through Jesus Christ and by the movement of the Holy Spirit.

[48:53] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[49:14] Amen. Amen. As we have all heard and been reminded, you are welcome at the Lord's table. Let us ready our hearts as we prepare to receive God's good gift and take part in this precious meal.

[49:30] Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right in our thanks and grace.

[49:41] It is right and a good and joyful thing. Always and everywhere to give thanks to you. Almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth, the one who welcomes us all, the one who knows we all belong.

[49:56] And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

[50:11] Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy are you and blessed is your son, Jesus Christ.

[50:23] By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the spirit.

[50:37] And on the night in which he gave himself up for us, Jesus took bread, he gave thanks to you, he broke the bread, and he gave it to his disciples and he said, take and eat.

[50:50] This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. When the supper was over, he took the cup, he gave thanks to you, and he gave it to his disciples, and he said, drink from this, all of you, for this is my blood.

[51:10] Sign of the new covenant, which is poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Every time that you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.

[51:24] And so in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

[51:40] Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, gathered here, on these gifts of bread and cup.

[51:51] Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, as we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

[52:10] Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, and in your Holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever.

[52:21] Amen. And now, with the confidence of children of God, let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

[52:33] 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

[52:48] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from you. For that is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

[53:05] Hou r minutes, and press themselves.

[53:25] Those serving this morning, please come forward.

[53:55] Thank you.

[54:25] Thank you.

[54:55] Thank you.

[55:25] Thank you.

[55:55] Thank you. Thank you.

[56:27] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[56:39] Thank you. Thank you. Now as the spirit moves, please come.

[57:19] Let us bring bread together on our knees.

[57:31] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.

[57:52] Let us drink wine together on our knees.

[58:06] Let us drink wine together on our knees. On our knees.

[58:18] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.

[58:40] Let us praise God together on our knees. On our knees.

[58:52] Let us praise God together on our knees. On our knees.

[59:04] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.

[59:27] Let us praise God together on our knees.

[59:37] On our knees. On our knees. Let us praise God together on our knees.

[59:48] On our knees. When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.

[60:15] Let us praise God together on our knees.

[60:28] Let us praise God together on our knees. Amen.

[61:08] If you'd like to continue your worship, just a reminder that the gathering service starts back up tonight at 630.

[61:18] We'd love to see you. Pastor Bill will be giving a message. We're invited to a life of love. We're encouraged to love as he loved us, and we're supported by some wonderful words of life.

[61:32] So I'm going to invite you to stand as we close with our final song, Wonderful, Merciful Savior. Wonderful, Merciful Savior, Precious Redeemer and Friend, Who would have thrown that a lamp here?

[62:00] Rescue the souls of men. Oh, you rescue the souls of men. Counselor, Comforter, Keeper, Spirit we long to embrace.

[62:20] You offer hope when our hearts have hopelessly lost the way. Oh, we hopelessly lost the way.

[62:35] You are the one that we praise. You are the one we adore. You give a healing embrace.

[62:51] Hearts always hunger for. Oh, our hearts always hunger for. Almighty, Heavenly Father, Faithfully loving your own.

[63:16] Here in our weakness you find us, Calling before your throne. Oh, we're falling before your throne.

[63:30] You are the one that we praise. You are the one we adore. You give a healing embrace.

[63:45] Our hearts always hunger for. Oh, our hearts always hunger for. Now let us go into this world, into whatever the day brings.

[64:08] Knowing, loved, saved, wrapped in the Holy Spirit. That's you. That's me. That's all of us. May we take that and go in God's peace.

[64:21] Amen. May we take that one.

[64:51] May we take that one. Amen. Thank you.

[65:38] Thank you.

[66:08] Thank you.

[66:38] Thank you.