All Hallows Saturday Evening Worship (February 4, 2023)
The order of worship for this Saturday evening is based on the basic pattern of worship in The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992). The songs are taken from The Faith We Sing (2000) and Worship and Song (2011), supplements to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989).
Opening Hymn: Open this link in a new tab to hear Thomas Troeger’ adaptation of John Milton’s “Let Us With a Joyful Mind.” [TFWS #2012]
1 Let us with a joyful mind
praise our God forever kind,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
2 New-made earth was filled with light
through God's all commanding might,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
3 Dazzling bright the sun obeys
God who shines with brighter rays,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
4 Stars and moon that spangle night
all depend on heaven's light,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
5 Creatures of the sea and land
all are fed by God's own hand,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
6 Therefore with a joyful mind,
praise our God forever kind,
Rich with mercies that endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.
Greeting:
Worship the Lord, all the earth!
Honor him, all peoples of the world!
We put our hope in the Lord;
he is our protector and our help. Psalm 33:8; 20
he is our protector and our help. Psalm 33:8; 20
Hymn of Praise:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jenni Lee Boyden and Rusty Edwards’ “Bidden, Unbidden.” [WnS #3019]
Whether I cry out your name
Or I feel all alone and ashamed
You are not gone
You are there!
Whether I notice your hand
In all the stars, the sea, the land
Whether or not
You are there
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
If I don’t feel you around
There is no picture
and no sound
I will believe you are there
Even on my darkest days
I will still sing
Scripture Reading:
A reading from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16: 5-24)
I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.
When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.
Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.
You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.
The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.
If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
With the words of this evening’s reading from the New Testament the apostle Paul closes his first letter to the church at Corinth. He includes this charge:
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love."
“And do everything with love.” Over and over again in his letters Paul urges those to whom he is writing to show love for others and for each other. He reiterates what Jesus taught his disciples. We find a similar emphasis in the letters of John, Peter, and James. Because our Lord and his apostles gave emphasis to loving others and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, I thought that it would be a good idea to review what Jesus taught and think carefully about how it applies to us.
When Jesus gave us the Great Commandment, the Golden Rule, and the New Commandment, he did not give us any exceptions to those commands. He did not say anything like “if you no longer feel any interest in someone and no longer feel friendly toward them, you don’t have to love them.” He expected us to keep on loving them.
While Jesus’ command to love one another was given to his disciples, his commands to love God, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to love our enemies and to do good to them, and to treat others exactly as we would wish to be treated, he gave not just to his disciples but to the crowd that had come to hear him. They are not just for his followers. They are for everybody.
Wait a minute! Did you say everybody?
When God made Jesus Lord of all, God did not make him just Lord of his followers. God made Jesus Lord of ALL! So even if we choose no longer to be one of his disciples, we would not be free to disobey him.
We, as Jesus’ disciples, however, are expected to obey him. Indeed, as Jesus’ pointed to his original disciples’ attention, we show our love for Jesus by obeying his commands, by following the directions which he has given us.
While we may choose to give the cold shoulder to a fellow Christian, to not speak to them and to avoid them, we are no longer obeying Jesus when we make that choice. Jesus commands us to love one another. We are not loving a fellow Christ when we show an unfriendly attitude toward them and intentionally ignore them or show no interest in them. We are not loving a fellow Christian when we adopt an attitude of indifference toward them—an attitude of not caring about them or being interested in them.
Loving one another, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, involves not only a particular attitude toward them but also particular behavior toward them. When we love a fellow Christian, we take an interest in them. We worry about them. We are friendly toward them, and we talk to them. We are kind to them. We are generous, helpful, and think about their feelings. We care about them. After all, they are family. They are our brother or sister in Christ.
We don’t snuggle with them. We don’t share spit and other body fluids with them. We may give them a hug or a pat on the back—with their permission.
We do not follow them everywhere they go and camp on their doorstep. We may show hospitality to one other in each other’s homes. We may visit them when they are sick. We may give them a phone call or shoot them a text. We maintain open communication with one another: we are able to share thoughts and feelings with each other without fear of any bad effects. We enjoy each other’s company.
One of the reasons that Jesus emphasizes pursuing reconciliation with a brother or sister is that we cannot love them and obey his command if we are not friendly with them and keep apart from them, if there are hard feelings between us and them. Jesus goes as far as saying that restoring friendly relations with a brother or sister is more important than fulfilling our religious obligations.
Loving one another means looking for the good in each other. We ditch the negativity bias. It is a tendency to see people in a bad light and to believe the worst about them. They may not have done anything evil or immoral, but we choose to see them that way. Rather than making allowances for them, we imagine their behavior is far worse that it is. We make all kinds of assumptions about them, and we do not consider the possibility that our assumptions are wrong.
The negativity bias can strongly influence how we come to an opinion about a situation, what we believe about it. We may not recognize the extent to which it influences our thinking.
One of the reasons that we are influenced by the negativity bias is the tendency to see everything in black and white. We do not take a nuanced view. People are either all good or all bad.
If we ditch the negativity bias, we may, for example, discover that what we believe was unacceptable behavior in a fellow Christian were attempts by that individual to deal with an unfamiliar situation, a situation with which they had no experience in dealing.
The negativity bias tends to be triggered when we are angry or annoyed by someone, have grown tired of them and have found someone more exciting, interesting, and fun, or are confronted with a difficult situation with which we would prefer not to deal.
When we love one another, we do not focus on each other’s negative qualities. Rather we focus on each other’s positive qualities. We take responsibility for our own contribution to a difficult situation rather than trying to shift the blame to someone else.
What about giving a fellow Christian space if they ask for it? Here is what psychologists and psychiatrists recommend.
1. The person requesting space from another person needs to define what they mean by space. It needs to be clear to both parties.
2. It needs to be remembered that being asked to give someone space can be a painful experience.
3. The person to whom you are giving space needs to know that you are giving them space because you care about them.
4. There needs to be a time frame. Without a timeframe, the person who is being asked to give someone space is left hanging, creating anxiety.
Asking for space indefinitely is the same as breaking off a relationship which has particular implications for Christians. We cannot use a request for space to let someone down gently because we no longer want any kind of relationship with them. As Christians we are “in relationship” with each other for the duration of our life here on earth and for all eternity. We are bound to Jesus and each other by the Holy Spirit. Both parties need to understand that.
Giving someone space does not free either party from the obligation to love one another as Christ loved us or to love each other as ourselves. Even if one or both parties cease to be followers of Jesus, they are bound to love each other as they love themselves and to treat each other exactly as they would want to be treated themselves. Jesus’ love commands continue to affect them regardless of whether they own his lordship over their lives.
5. If you are the person who is giving someone space offer them your help and let them know that you are there for them. However, do not crowd them.
6. Except in a genuine emergency the person who is giving someone space should limit contacts to what has been agreed upon.
7. How much time someone is given space depends on what happened.
The parameters for deciding the length of time for Christians are determined by Jesus’ teaching, particularly his stress upon giving priority to restoring friendly relations with a brother or sister over our religious obligations. By brother or sister Jesus does not mean a natural sibling. He is referring to a fellow human being or a fellow Christian.
8. It is also recommended that the space given be structured. This ensures that both parties are on the same page. It can also mitigate the effects of giving someone space upon the person giving them space and reduces anxiety.
We need to remember what the apostle Paul wrote the church at Corinth. Hurt done to one member of the Body of Christ affects the whole Body of Christ. If two members of Christ’s Body experiences an impaired relationship, it will have bad effects on the entire Body.
For example, two members of the choir might have a disagreement, leading to one or both choir members not attending choir rehearsals or singing on Sunday morning. As a consequence, the Body of Christ is denied their gifts. Members of the choir may take sides, causing a split in the choir, further denying a church of its members’ gifts. An impaired relationship between two church members can keep one or both of them from exercising the spiritual gifts that they brought with them to the church, and which are God’s gift to the church.
We need to keep in mind that being polite to someone on Sunday mornings and other occasions but maintaining an unfriendly attitude toward them outside of church is not what Jesus meant when he instructed the first disciples to love one another as he loved them, not even by a stretch of the imagination. Friendliness is a part of loving our fellow Christians.
Friendliness, however, does not mean that we need to be joined at the hip to our fellow Christians, to monopolize each other’s time, to overstep each other’s boundaries, to be on the phone or texting them all of the time, and to give them no breathing room. It does mean that we are pleasant and kind to each other and act in a way that shows we like people and want them to like and trust us.
Reviewing periodically what Jesus taught and considering how it applies to ourselves will help us to follow our Lord more closely and to grow in maturity of character as his disciples. God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, will use these times of prayerful reflection to mold us more into the likeness of our Lord and to restore the image of God in us.
Silence
Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Scott Wesley Brown’s “More Like You.” [TFWS #2167]
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Lord You are my mercy
Lord You are my grace
All my deepest sins
Have forever been erased
Draw me in Your presence
Lead me in Your ways
I long to bring You glory
In righteousness and praise
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Lord you are compassion
And never ending love
Lord, you have redeemed me
By your priceless blood
Create in a clean heart
A spirit that is pure
The joy of my salvation
Is only found in you
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Concerns and Prayers:
The following is prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.
After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.
Together, let us pray
for the people of this congregation...
for those who suffer and those in trouble...
for the concerns of this local community...
for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...
for the earth you have given to our care…
for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...
in communion with the saints...
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught
us to pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
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.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “As a Fire Is Meant for Burning.” [TFWS # 2237]
1 As a fire is meant for burning
with a bright and warming flame,
so the church is meant for mission,
giving glory to God’s name.
Not to preach our creeds or customs,
but to build a bridge of care,
we join hands across the nations,
finding neighbors everywhere.
2 We are learners; we are teachers;
we are pilgrims on the way.
We are seekers; we are givers;
we are vessels made of clay.
By our gentle loving actions,
we would show that Christ is light.
in a humble, listening spirit,
we would live to God’s delight.
3 As a green bud in the springtime
is a sign of life renewed,
so may we be signs of oneness
mid earth’s peoples many hued.
As a rainbow lights the heavens
when a storm is past and gone,
may our lives reflect the radiance
of God’s new and glorious dawn.
Benediction:
May the God of peace equip us with everything good for
doing his will, working in us what is pleasing to him,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jenni Lee Boyden and Rusty Edwards’ “Bidden, Unbidden.” [WnS #3019]
Whether I cry out your name
Or I feel all alone and ashamed
You are not gone
You are there!
Whether I notice your hand
In all the stars, the sea, the land
Whether or not
You are there
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
If I don’t feel you around
There is no picture
and no sound
I will believe you are there
Even on my darkest days
I will still sing
a word of praise
I will believe you are there!
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Silence
I will believe you are there!
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
Bidden, unbidden,
I know you are there.
You are present always,
again and again.
If I forget you,
or join you in prayer,
you are present always
forever. Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Silence
Wherever we go, faithful God,
you are there with us.
We may not sense your presence
but you are true to your word.
You are with us always.
Enable us in turn to be faithful to you,
walking in your ways
all the days of our life,
showing kindness and forgiveness
to all people no matter who they are,
as your Son taught us.
This we ask in his name. Amen.
Scripture Reading:
A reading from the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16: 5-24)
I am coming to visit you after I have been to Macedonia, for I am planning to travel through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay awhile with you, possibly all winter, and then you can send me on my way to my next destination. This time I don’t want to make just a short visit and then go right on. I want to come and stay awhile, if the Lord will let me. In the meantime, I will be staying here at Ephesus until the Festival of Pentecost. There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me.
When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am. Don’t let anyone treat him with contempt. Send him on his way with your blessing when he returns to me. I expect him to come with the other believers.
Now about our brother Apollos—I urged him to visit you with the other believers, but he was not willing to go right now. He will see you later when he has the opportunity.
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.
You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.
The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.
If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
What You Should Know about Jesus’ Love Commands
With the words of this evening’s reading from the New Testament the apostle Paul closes his first letter to the church at Corinth. He includes this charge:
"Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love."
“And do everything with love.” Over and over again in his letters Paul urges those to whom he is writing to show love for others and for each other. He reiterates what Jesus taught his disciples. We find a similar emphasis in the letters of John, Peter, and James. Because our Lord and his apostles gave emphasis to loving others and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, I thought that it would be a good idea to review what Jesus taught and think carefully about how it applies to us.
When Jesus gave us the Great Commandment, the Golden Rule, and the New Commandment, he did not give us any exceptions to those commands. He did not say anything like “if you no longer feel any interest in someone and no longer feel friendly toward them, you don’t have to love them.” He expected us to keep on loving them.
While Jesus’ command to love one another was given to his disciples, his commands to love God, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to love our enemies and to do good to them, and to treat others exactly as we would wish to be treated, he gave not just to his disciples but to the crowd that had come to hear him. They are not just for his followers. They are for everybody.
Wait a minute! Did you say everybody?
When God made Jesus Lord of all, God did not make him just Lord of his followers. God made Jesus Lord of ALL! So even if we choose no longer to be one of his disciples, we would not be free to disobey him.
We, as Jesus’ disciples, however, are expected to obey him. Indeed, as Jesus’ pointed to his original disciples’ attention, we show our love for Jesus by obeying his commands, by following the directions which he has given us.
While we may choose to give the cold shoulder to a fellow Christian, to not speak to them and to avoid them, we are no longer obeying Jesus when we make that choice. Jesus commands us to love one another. We are not loving a fellow Christ when we show an unfriendly attitude toward them and intentionally ignore them or show no interest in them. We are not loving a fellow Christian when we adopt an attitude of indifference toward them—an attitude of not caring about them or being interested in them.
Loving one another, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, involves not only a particular attitude toward them but also particular behavior toward them. When we love a fellow Christian, we take an interest in them. We worry about them. We are friendly toward them, and we talk to them. We are kind to them. We are generous, helpful, and think about their feelings. We care about them. After all, they are family. They are our brother or sister in Christ.
We don’t snuggle with them. We don’t share spit and other body fluids with them. We may give them a hug or a pat on the back—with their permission.
We do not follow them everywhere they go and camp on their doorstep. We may show hospitality to one other in each other’s homes. We may visit them when they are sick. We may give them a phone call or shoot them a text. We maintain open communication with one another: we are able to share thoughts and feelings with each other without fear of any bad effects. We enjoy each other’s company.
One of the reasons that Jesus emphasizes pursuing reconciliation with a brother or sister is that we cannot love them and obey his command if we are not friendly with them and keep apart from them, if there are hard feelings between us and them. Jesus goes as far as saying that restoring friendly relations with a brother or sister is more important than fulfilling our religious obligations.
Loving one another means looking for the good in each other. We ditch the negativity bias. It is a tendency to see people in a bad light and to believe the worst about them. They may not have done anything evil or immoral, but we choose to see them that way. Rather than making allowances for them, we imagine their behavior is far worse that it is. We make all kinds of assumptions about them, and we do not consider the possibility that our assumptions are wrong.
The negativity bias can strongly influence how we come to an opinion about a situation, what we believe about it. We may not recognize the extent to which it influences our thinking.
One of the reasons that we are influenced by the negativity bias is the tendency to see everything in black and white. We do not take a nuanced view. People are either all good or all bad.
If we ditch the negativity bias, we may, for example, discover that what we believe was unacceptable behavior in a fellow Christian were attempts by that individual to deal with an unfamiliar situation, a situation with which they had no experience in dealing.
The negativity bias tends to be triggered when we are angry or annoyed by someone, have grown tired of them and have found someone more exciting, interesting, and fun, or are confronted with a difficult situation with which we would prefer not to deal.
When we love one another, we do not focus on each other’s negative qualities. Rather we focus on each other’s positive qualities. We take responsibility for our own contribution to a difficult situation rather than trying to shift the blame to someone else.
What about giving a fellow Christian space if they ask for it? Here is what psychologists and psychiatrists recommend.
1. The person requesting space from another person needs to define what they mean by space. It needs to be clear to both parties.
2. It needs to be remembered that being asked to give someone space can be a painful experience.
3. The person to whom you are giving space needs to know that you are giving them space because you care about them.
4. There needs to be a time frame. Without a timeframe, the person who is being asked to give someone space is left hanging, creating anxiety.
Asking for space indefinitely is the same as breaking off a relationship which has particular implications for Christians. We cannot use a request for space to let someone down gently because we no longer want any kind of relationship with them. As Christians we are “in relationship” with each other for the duration of our life here on earth and for all eternity. We are bound to Jesus and each other by the Holy Spirit. Both parties need to understand that.
Giving someone space does not free either party from the obligation to love one another as Christ loved us or to love each other as ourselves. Even if one or both parties cease to be followers of Jesus, they are bound to love each other as they love themselves and to treat each other exactly as they would want to be treated themselves. Jesus’ love commands continue to affect them regardless of whether they own his lordship over their lives.
5. If you are the person who is giving someone space offer them your help and let them know that you are there for them. However, do not crowd them.
6. Except in a genuine emergency the person who is giving someone space should limit contacts to what has been agreed upon.
7. How much time someone is given space depends on what happened.
The parameters for deciding the length of time for Christians are determined by Jesus’ teaching, particularly his stress upon giving priority to restoring friendly relations with a brother or sister over our religious obligations. By brother or sister Jesus does not mean a natural sibling. He is referring to a fellow human being or a fellow Christian.
8. It is also recommended that the space given be structured. This ensures that both parties are on the same page. It can also mitigate the effects of giving someone space upon the person giving them space and reduces anxiety.
We need to remember what the apostle Paul wrote the church at Corinth. Hurt done to one member of the Body of Christ affects the whole Body of Christ. If two members of Christ’s Body experiences an impaired relationship, it will have bad effects on the entire Body.
For example, two members of the choir might have a disagreement, leading to one or both choir members not attending choir rehearsals or singing on Sunday morning. As a consequence, the Body of Christ is denied their gifts. Members of the choir may take sides, causing a split in the choir, further denying a church of its members’ gifts. An impaired relationship between two church members can keep one or both of them from exercising the spiritual gifts that they brought with them to the church, and which are God’s gift to the church.
We need to keep in mind that being polite to someone on Sunday mornings and other occasions but maintaining an unfriendly attitude toward them outside of church is not what Jesus meant when he instructed the first disciples to love one another as he loved them, not even by a stretch of the imagination. Friendliness is a part of loving our fellow Christians.
Friendliness, however, does not mean that we need to be joined at the hip to our fellow Christians, to monopolize each other’s time, to overstep each other’s boundaries, to be on the phone or texting them all of the time, and to give them no breathing room. It does mean that we are pleasant and kind to each other and act in a way that shows we like people and want them to like and trust us.
Reviewing periodically what Jesus taught and considering how it applies to ourselves will help us to follow our Lord more closely and to grow in maturity of character as his disciples. God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, will use these times of prayerful reflection to mold us more into the likeness of our Lord and to restore the image of God in us.
Silence
Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Scott Wesley Brown’s “More Like You.” [TFWS #2167]
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Lord You are my mercy
Lord You are my grace
All my deepest sins
Have forever been erased
Draw me in Your presence
Lead me in Your ways
I long to bring You glory
In righteousness and praise
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Lord you are compassion
And never ending love
Lord, you have redeemed me
By your priceless blood
Create in a clean heart
A spirit that is pure
The joy of my salvation
Is only found in you
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Fill my heart with Your desire
To make me more like You
More like You Jesus
More like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Touch my lips with holy fire
And make me more like You
Concerns and Prayers:
The following is prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.
After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.
Together, let us pray
for the people of this congregation...
for those who suffer and those in trouble...
for the concerns of this local community...
for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...
for the earth you have given to our care…
for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...
in communion with the saints...
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught
us to pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
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.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “As a Fire Is Meant for Burning.” [TFWS # 2237]
1 As a fire is meant for burning
with a bright and warming flame,
so the church is meant for mission,
giving glory to God’s name.
Not to preach our creeds or customs,
but to build a bridge of care,
we join hands across the nations,
finding neighbors everywhere.
2 We are learners; we are teachers;
we are pilgrims on the way.
We are seekers; we are givers;
we are vessels made of clay.
By our gentle loving actions,
we would show that Christ is light.
in a humble, listening spirit,
we would live to God’s delight.
3 As a green bud in the springtime
is a sign of life renewed,
so may we be signs of oneness
mid earth’s peoples many hued.
As a rainbow lights the heavens
when a storm is past and gone,
may our lives reflect the radiance
of God’s new and glorious dawn.
Benediction:
May the God of peace equip us with everything good for
doing his will, working in us what is pleasing to him,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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