In Music There is Hope

In Music There is Hope—A SERVICE OF MUSIC AND READINGS    Sept. 20, 2020 (Printable PDF)
(Video will be posted LIVE on the church’s FB page at 11am.  Livestream will be cross-posted here ASAP once the livestream starts)

PRELUDE: When in Our Music God is Glorified—var. 1, Kyle Johnson
CALL TO HOPE: Emily Dickinson’s original poem “Hope is the thing with feathers”

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

SOLO: An die Musik—Franz Schubert, sung by Neal Long, tenor
READING: A sermon quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
HYMN: Live into Hope (#772)
READING: I Rise—by Maya Angelou (read by Jennifer and Emma)
HYMN: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (#353)
READING: Brief Meditations  by Vaclav Havel—Czech Prime Minister, Writer, Statesman (read by NEAL and JOSH)
QUARTET: Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel?       Patti Drennan
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 121   Romans 5:1-5    Romans 12:12   Romans 15:13 Luke 4:14-19    Matthew 12:17-21
QUARTET:  Music Never Dies     Alfred Fedak
PRAYER: Deanna introduces by inviting people to submit their prayer requests while NEAL PLAYS NATIVE FLUTE.
Lord’s Prayer
OFFERTORY SOLO: What a Wonderful World; sung by Jennifer Weiman, mezzo soprano
                 Offering link
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

May all beings everywhere
plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves
in trackless, fearful wilderness—
the children,
the aged,
the unprotected–
be guarded now and always.
Amen.
–Buddhist prayer

HYMN: How Can I Keep from Singing? (#821)
BLESSING

Hope!
Hope in the face of difficulty.
Hope in the face of uncertainty.
The audacity of hope!
In the end,
that is God’s greatest gift to us…
A belief in things not seen.
A belief that there are better days ahead.
Amen.
President Barack Obama

SUNG RESPONSE:  Lead Me, Guide Me, (all stanzas from #498 Worship and Rejoice)
POSTLUDE:  When in Our Music God is Glorified, var. 3—Kyle Johnson