5th Sunday of Easter—Celebration of Holy Communion!
Westport Presbyterian Church—May 7, 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: Coro—from Water Music—G. F. Handel
UNISON CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS
You are Creative Mystery! You are the Unnamed Stupendous! You are Earth Maker! Deep Heaven’ Source!Higher Power! You are God of Life & Light Eternal! The One Whose Joy is Everywhere! The One Whose Voice releases the voice of peoples long silenced. We worship You! Will You encounter us? We praise God!
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People
BIBLE READINGS: Luke 11:2-4 Matthew 6:9-13
ANTHEM: O Taste and See—Thomas Pavlechko
ILLUMINATED INSIGHTS SERVICE— An Arts & Spirituality Message merging scripture, visual arts& spoken word that interprets the Lord’s Prayer scripture.
1. Our Father Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom Come
HYMN: Oh, I Know the Lord’s Laid His Hands on Me STF#2139
2. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
HYMN: I Love to Tell the Story GTG#462
3. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.
SUNG PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION: Take Me to the Water GTG #480 *Add a 5th stanza: Send me to the table, where God provides.
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 (sing twice) GTG#851
PRAYER: Lift up names of people we wish to pray for, concluding with The Lord’s Prayer (GTG, 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: Deep River—arranged by H. T. Burleigh, Joshua Stark, bass
Offering link
UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION
May we know the honor of being a human being. (Jake Swamp, Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) May we share the honor of being a human being. Let us unite a frightened world by acts of kindness.(early pandemic, viral social media post) Hate has no home here. (a 9 year old Muslim child wrote these words on a sign for a protest at Chicago’s airport when the January 27, 2017 travel ban from Muslim countries was announced)Let hate have no home where you are. Love your enemies. (Jesus) Replace apathy with curiosity! Violence with community.(Fred Culver)Never forget that what you give, you have. (Roman soldier) May our capacity for God be reborn. Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Down in the River to Pray (stanzas 1-4)
BENEDICTION
SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE: Down in the River to Pray (stanza 5)
POSTLUDE: Wade in the Water—Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Bread, Buns and Fruit are needed for the INTERRUPT HUNGER work we are doing. Thanks to all who are generously giving to this great work and to Westport Showers and Clothes Washing/Drying work. Thanks to everyone making WESTPORT SHOWERS happen on Sundays and on Thursday nights. You make space for grace! We need men’s pants in all sizes!
Children’s Sunday School has restarted! During worship with teachers 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 start time.
We are committed to Steptoe Lives in an effort to honor and preserve WHAT remains of the historic Black Westport community of Steptoe. A major event now being planned is Juneteenth in Steptoe, on the Sunday afternoon, June 18, 4 pm, the day before the new national holiday. Events will be held in the neighborhood , at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church (music and Dancing Word) and here at Westport Presby (film) Want to join in the effort? Stan Morgan, Rev Scott and Mary Jo Draper, our church’s electronic newsletter publisher, and Taylor Brown, Westport Center for the Arts Executive Director, are participating so far.
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. Smile.
FREDitation, Monday at 5 pm in the chapel. A centering prayer experience.
SESSION meets here, in person, Tuesday at 7:00 p.m
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