Celebration of Holy Communion & Holy Community Westport Presbyterian Church—July 2, 2023, 11:00 am
(Video will be posted LIVE on the church’s FB page at 11am and then cross-posted here. If the video doesn’t load properly here, you should be able to click on the Watch on Facebook link and watch as a guest, even if you don’t have Facebook)
PRELUDE Amazing Grace arr. Dale Wood
RESPONSIVE CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS
Pastor: You are Creative Mystery! People: You are the Unnamed Stupendous! Pastor: You are Earth Maker! People: Deep Heaven’ Source! Pastor: You are our Higher Power! People: You are God of Life & Light Eternal Pastor: The One Whose Love is Everywhere! People: The One Whose Voice releases the voices of peoples long silenced. Pastor: We love You! People: Will You walk with us?
HYMN: My Country Tis of Thee GTG#337
PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND COMMITMENT
Pastor: Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of people and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial.
People: We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.
Pastor: We may have all come in different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.
People: Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
Pastor: Almost always, the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better. We must use our time creatively.
People: Life’s most persistent and urgent question is “What are you doing for others?”
–Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
SUNG AFFIRMATION OF AMAZING GRACE: Halle, Halle, Halle (sing refrain twice) GTG#591
PASSING OF PEACE
Pastor: The peace of Christ be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us share the peace of Christ with each other.
BIBLE READINGS: Psalm 89:1-4; 15-18 Matthew 10:40-42
ANTHEM: Bread of life arr. Lee G. Barrow
SERMON: On Creating Liberating Spiritual Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION: Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound GTG#649
SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION
Pastor: Let’s gather around this planet friendly, holy table, With holy bread & drink People: The promise of Christ coming alive among us Pastor: This is the welcome table of God where all who intend to experience the non-physical experience spiritual dimension of life—
People: And live in relationships of freedom and peace with neighbors!
Pastor: Hunger no more! Come to eat! Here, all who longs for otherwise elusive grace
People:: May enjoy the strong love of God in Jesus Christ.
Pastor: Here you are embraced and held by Self Emptying Love!—
People: One of God’s great and holy names!
Pastor: Come to drink, you are invited into this holy mystery.
People: We are ready!
Pastor: Jesus said: “I am the bread of life. All who come to me shall not hunger, and all who believe in me shall never be thirsty.”
People: We are hungry for Your Love, O God, We are thirsty for Your Deep Peace, O Lamb of God. We seek an unusual gift— an experience of wonder and joy.
Pastor: Come in, Holy Spirit. Open our eyes to the mystery of The living Christ’s presence in our midst. Through the broken bread…
People: We are becoming the Body of Christ—
Pastor: Feeding the hungry!
People: Giving showers and clothes to people who are homeless and extremely poor!
Pastor: Becoming anti-racist! Getting into Good Trouble!
People: Let us praise and pray to God by singing an African hymn!
CONGREGATIONAL SUNG PRAYER: Come, Bring Your Burdens to God GTG#851
Pastor: Lift up names of people we wish to pray for, concluding with The Lord’s Prayer (Glory to God, page 35)…
BREAKING & SHARING OF BREAD, POURING & SHARING OF WINE
Pastor: The Grace, Peace, Love and Joy of Jesus Christ be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray the prayer of thanksgiving together….
ALL: Gracious, loving God, You have called us to become a body of Christ. Thank you for filling us amidst hunger &thirst. Now send us into the world to do the great work You have called us to do—Find the lost & lonely! Heal wounded souls! Free people, including ourselves, who are not at all free! Give compassion to the vulnerable & marginalized! Love Beauty, Planet & Sky, persist in resisting evil, share by how we live the Message of Jesus, Who is The Light in the World. Amen.
WELCOMING
OFFERTORY: The Quiet Heart Words and Music by John Ness Beck; Josh Stark, bass
Offering link
UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION
May our giving change us. May our giving change our church. May our giving change the fate of just one person. May our giving travel a long ways beyond us and make Your Realm of Love larger. And may our giving travel deep inside of us and make us more humble. Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Over My Head STF#2148
BENEDICTION
SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE: Over My Head (refrain) STF #2148
POSTLUDE DIALOGUE for Flute and Cornet Louis-Nicolas Clerembault
CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
- Welcome to Marian Thomas who is directing the music and playing organ and piano for two Sundays while Emily Davidson takes a well deserved vacation! Marian was our Music Director/Organist for many years before retiring. And welcome to Josh Stark who is handling the livestream production while Deanna Capps takes a well deserved vacation.
- Bread, Buns, Fruit are needed for our INTERRUPT HUNGER work.
- WESTPORT SHOWERS happen on Sundays & Thursday nights. We need men’s pants in all sizes! Men’s shoes!
- Children’s Sunday School is taking a break until August 6th in the redesigned 2nd floor Children’s Space, teaching & learning will emphasize Care for the Earth, Sky and all God’s creation. 11:00 am. On Easter Sunday the Westport Rising Children’s Sunday School was re-born after the pandemic! During that first class, the children planted milkweed seeds in peat pots, and learned how essential milkweed is to Monarch butterflies- it is the only food they eat! Teachers are focusing on care for the earth in our Sunday School classes. We hope that when the plants blossom, monarch butterflies will be attracted by the scent, will lay eggs on the leaves, which will hatch into caterpillars which will feast on the leaves. They will transform first into chrysalises, and then into very beautiful Monarch butterflies.
- Friendship Time before and after worship with snacks and coffee. Starts at 10:20 am in the main hallway. Continues after worship. Time for spontaneous friendship interaction.
- ZOOM Bible Study is this Wednesday, July 5, 6:30 p.m. Ask Rev Scott to send you the ZOOM link. We continue in the Gospel of Mark.
Freditation—a 20 minute centering prayer expereince, Monday, 4:30 p.m. - #GoodTrouble KC’s campaign for Police Reform is joining with MORE Squared and others in calling for a US Justice Department investigation of the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas Police Departments. A march across state lines from KU Med Center to Roanoke Park (0.8 miles) is being planned for Saturday, Aug 12 at 10 am.
- Mark your calendars for Friday, July 21, 6:00 p.m. OPENING NIGHT of 50 Years of Arts Works by Stanley Brian Morgan. A Westport Center for the Arts exhibit.
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