The Last Sunday after Pentecost: The Reign of Christ
REFLECTION
I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.
— Dorothy Day
COLLECT
You who are, who were, who are to come, before whose judgement all fades away that is not love: save us from the violence that seeks to claim our hearts so we might hear a different voice and belong to you in truth, through Jesus Christ, the wounded king of all. Amen.
PRELUDE
GREETING
Rev. Melisa Blankenship (she/her), Worship Leader
Leader: The Lord be with you.
ALL: And also with you.
PREPARATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 95:1-7
Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to God with songs of praise!
For you, O Lord, are a great God, and a great sovereign above all gods. In your hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are yours also.
The sea is the yours, for you made it, and the dry land, which your hands have formed.
Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.
For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture, and the sheep of your hand. Oh, that today we would listen to your voice!
PRAYER OF ADORATION
PRAISE
SONGS
You Keep On Getting Better
Dante Bowe, Jonathan Jay, Kirby Kaple, Majesty Rose, ©2019
Lighthouse
David Lunsford, ©2015
RENEWAL
CALL TO CONFESSION
Isaiah 57:15, NRSV
For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving God, you have crowned Jesus Christ as Lord of all, but we confess that we are often influenced more by the values of Empire, than the values of Jesus. We get caught up in the empty promises of greed, power, supremacy and domination. Forgive us, and restore us. May your spirit fill us, Holy One, to follow the way of Jesus, joining in a creative and liberating movement for your peace, your shalom, your flourishing, for all. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Our hope is in the Lord our God, who keeps faith with us forever. God’s mercy is everlasting! In Christ, we are loved and forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
PASSING THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
SONG
It Is Well With My Soul
BLESSING OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH
Leader: People of God, what is our prayer for our children and youth?
People: May the Lord be with you.
Children: And also with you.
Leader: May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may the Lord grow you strong in Divine grace,
may the Lord fill you with the love of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God!
SONG OF ASSURANCE
My Jesus I Love Thee
Adoniram J. Gordon, 1894, arr. Karl Digerness, 2005
COMMITMENT
WORDS OF WELCOME
Rev. Fred Harrell (he/him)
SCRIPTURE
Kelly Cole (she/her), Reader
Ephesians 3:12-20, NRSV
[It is in Christ Jesus our Lord] in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
SERMON
Rev. Paul Trudeau (he/him)
That’s a Stretch
OFFERING OURSELVES & OUR GIFTS
The offering is a way for Christians to support the mission and ministry of the church. Christians offer a sacrificial portion of their resources–time, talents, possessions–as an act of faith and gratitude in response to God’s grace. While many at City Church make their regular contributions through online giving and automated bill pay, offerings are a part of our worship service as an opportunity for the regular, proportionate and generous giving of the resources God has given us.
OFFERING PRAYER
Creator God, All that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours, and you lovingly rule over all. Therefore, Lord, receive these offerings, our tangible expressions of love and gratitude. Transform them into a source of life for many, so that your peace may grow in the hearts of all. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
MUSICAL OFFERING
His Eye is On the Sparrow
Words by Civila D. Martin
Music by Charles H. Gabriel
Arrangement by Minna Choi
COMMUNION
INVITATION TO THE LORDS TABLE
CONFESSION OF FAITH: APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
SONG
Sanctus
by Karl Digerness, ©2017
Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREAD & CUP
The Gifts of God for the People of God
COMMUNION PRAYER
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
SONG
Sing to Jesus
Fernando Ortega, ©2002
BENEDICTION
May Christ, the Glorious One, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a light to the world; and the blessing of God almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, remain with you now and always.
Amen.
DISMISSAL
Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God!
POSTLUDE
MUSICIANS
Lora Libby, vocals
Amy Foote, vocals
Minna Choi, vocals / keys
Adam Shulman, piano
Jeff Marrs, drums
Jason Muscat, bass
Ramon Fermin, electric guitar