Worship Service – May 17, 2020
The Sixth Sunday of Easter
The videos for this worship service are posted on our Church’s youtube channel as a playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKBiEVOXnXWwPvoTpbQW7H1cJtfyn_nP4
1) Welcome and Prayer
Click on the youtube link below to hear the words of welcome and the opening prayer
Good morning and welcome to this morning’s worship time. I’m thankful for the technology that enables us to continue to worship together at this time, but I do look forward to the time when we can gather together and see each other face-to-face. In the meantime, my hope and prayer is that each one of us is being drawn into a closer communion with God at this challenging time. May our great God richly bless you today and in the days and weeks to come.
Let’s Pray
Creator, Christ and Spirit;
how awesome is your love, O God, One in Three and Three in One!
In you, we live and move and have our being.
In you, we find our beginning and our end.
In you, we find a judge who is kind and gracious.
We know you as Saviour, keeping watch over all your people,
calling us to walk in paths of justice and peace,
leading us away from trouble, toward the hope you promise.
Here we offer you our praise and worship,
seeking to serve you in gratitude each and every day.
In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
2) Musical Call to Worship: Here I am to Worship
Click on the link below and sing along for a musical call to worship.
3) Praise Songs
Click on the links below for the youtube videos of this morning’s praise songs
“Come Thou, Almighty King”
“Prince of Peace, Counsellor (I Extol You)”
4) Song of Confession and Assurance: “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart”
Click the link below to hear this song of confession. Let this be your prayer to God.
5) Old Testament Lesson: Psalm 66:8-20
Someone in your group can read this passage.
8 Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
6) Prayers of the People
Click on the link below to hear the morning prayer.
Loving God,
We thank you for calling us into a relationship with you, and setting us in the world you love. Through our prayers, we bring to you our doubts and fears, our joys and our concerns, and our deepest longings for your world.
Reconciling God,
We pray for our family and friends, those far away and those close by,any who are estranged from us and those whom we depend upon daily. Where our relationships are strained, bring understanding and new possibility. Bless and protect relationships that are joyful and life-giving.
Guiding God,
We pray for public officials, politicians and all who serve the public good day by day. Guide each one to uphold standards of good service above personal gain. Where they experience tension between their faith and their public roles, give them wisdom to make faithful decisions and courage when those decisions are unpopular.
Caring God,
We pray for the people we encounter every day, both those who are shining lights in our communities and those whose lights have yet to be discovered. Help us be respectful of every neighbour, and treat each person we meet with kindness.
Healing God,
We pray for those who are suffering from illness or chronic conditions, for those in grief or loneliness, and for any who feel frustrated or overwhelmed by what they face. Move in their lives with your healing grace and show them signs of your presence and compassion in life-giving ways.
Faithful God,Your Spirit has worked in the world throughout all generations. We thank you that we belong to you in this generation. We pray for life-long believers and for those whose faith is new. May your church benefit from the wisdom of the experienced and the vibrancy of those beginning their journey. Help us work together in hope, so that our witness to your purposes and promises will invite others to discover life in you.
We pray all these things in the name of Jesus, our Risen Christ, Amen.
7) Reflection Hymn:Spirit of the Living God
Listen to this reflective song before we listen to the Gospel lesson. Click the link below for the youtube video, which has the words and the music.
8) Gospel Lesson: John 14:15-21
Click the link below and watch the dramatized reading of the Gospel lesson.
9) Message: We’re Never Alone!
Click on the link to hear the sermon. A copy of the sermon is also attached at the bottom of the page.
10) Prayer after the Sermon
Click on the link below to hear this prayer
Living and gracious God,
through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
you have brought us out to a spacious place
where we are called to live as those redeemed.
Empower us by your Spirit to keep your commandments,
that we may show forth your love
with gentle word and reverent deed
to all your people. Amen.
11) Musical Response: Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Click on the link below for the youtube video.
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12) Blessing
Click the link below to hear the words of blessing
Jesus says to us:
“I will never abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”
Go into this week with the knowledge
that you do not go alone:
the power and presence of God goes with you.
Amen.
12) A Video For the KidsThis is my Commandment
Here’s a bonus song for the kids.
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