SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Wherever we are, God is there. Now we are here and God is with us. So we prepare ourselves to watch and to listen. We come to this time on this special weekend with our memories and our celebrations. We come to this shared worship to be part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:
Lord, you are the God of all the ages. As we join together now in our worship, we realize how great our debt is to the past – to those who shaped it and to those who are only present with us now in our memories.
For the lives of those to whom this weekend is dedicated, and for those dear to us who now rest from their labors, we give you thanks. For those who throughout the history of this nation have given their lives in behalf of freedom, justice, and peace, we express our gratitude.
May your will be our heritage forever, and your love be a source of everlasting joy. Help us to proclaim the Good News among all your peoples, as we also keep it close to our hearts and to our homes. In Christ’s name we ask it, Amen.
AN AFFIRMATION OF FAITH:
“God’s sovereign love is a mystery beyond the reach of the human mind. Human thought ascribes to God superlatives of power, wisdom, and goodness. But God reveals divine love in Jesus Christ by showing power in the form of a servant, wisdom in the folly of the cross, and goodness in receiving sinful men and women.The power of God’s love in Christ to transform the world discloses that the Redeemer is the Lord and Creator.”
(From our Confession of 1967, section 9.15)
A BENEDICTION TO TAKE WITH YOU THIS WEEK:
We now go our separate ways for this coming week, asking God to be present with us and with all those whom we love. Tomorrow, we especially remember those who sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy and we thank God for their lasting gifts to us. May the peace, safety, and love of our Lord be with you and among you, until we gather again to worship in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.