WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
SEASON OF EASTERTIDE
OBSERVANCE OF MAY DAY – INTERNATIONAL WORKERS’ DAY
April 26, 2026
PRELUDE: All Things Bright and Beautiful Rudy Davenport
Today we welcome our friends and partners from the Missouri Workers Center (and who office with us upstairs). We join our voices to lift up the rights of workers here in our city and everywhere.
CALL TO WORSHIP: (from Psalm 140:12)
One: The Lord supports the cause of the needy,
All: and gives justice to those who are poor.
OPENING HYMN: Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty GTG#35
RESPONSIVE CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD: (from the Book of Order)
One: Holy Mystery, Sustainer of all who work for justice and dignity in the world, we confess that we have failed to stand with those crushed by systemic injustice.
All: We have valued property and profits over people’s lives.
One: Courts and public safety agencies enforce unequal justice.
All: Struggling workers are displaced and pushed into homelessness.
One: Public functions for the common good are privatized and deregulated.
All: The cries of those who grieve are muffled.
One: Victims are asked to forgive and reconcile – even before their wounds can begin to heal.
All: In its silence and inaction, the church is complicit in this injustice and inequality.
One: In your mercy, Gracious One, help us to change our hearts, lives, and habits.
All: Lead us to cry out with the prophets, until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
One: Empower us to become menders of the broken places, allies and friends with the most vulnerable among us.
All: Strengthen us to make our communities livable again. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:
One: The One who showers us with second chances breathes forgiveness and freedom upon us yet again. But hear this – we are not to go back to the old path. We are not to pile up possessions for ourselves, but to make ourselves rich in good deeds.
All: Thanks be to God!
SUNG RESPONSE: Be Not Afraid (Sing 2x) GTG#243
[Time with Young Disciples]
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST:
One: The peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Let’s share the peace of Christ with one another.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:
One: Holy Creator, help us to hear in this ancient wisdom your Spirit’s call to joy and justice, and help us to change our lives accordingly.
All: Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 32: 22-32 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12
One: May God bless the reading of Holy Scripture.
All: Thanks be to God.
CHORAL ANTHEM: All Things Bright and Beautiful arr. Rutter
A GOOD NEWS CONVERSATION: May Day, the Dignity of Labor, and Workers’ Rights
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Great Is Thy Faithfulness GTG#39
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER: Christ Has Risen While Earth Slumbers (verse 1) GTG#231
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, BLESSINGS, AND THE LORD’S PRAYER: (from the Latin American Alliance of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, 2006)
One: Living God, you unsettle us because you made all living beings in your image. Free us from insensitivity to our neighbor. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: Lord, we are horrified at watching some sing songs of joy while millions cry out in pain. Free us from insensitivity to the suffering of others. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: Just God, wake us from our comforts while others suffer and die in an unjust economic system that rules the world. Help us see your world through the eyes of Jesus Christ. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: Compassionate God, we live in the shadow of a global financial empire which insists it is the only system that can advance societies, yet it converts everything into commodities, as a profit or loss, benefitting few at the expense of most people. Shine light on the reality of your creation through Jesus’ eyes. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: Creator God, this economic system plunders earth’s treasures, destroys species daily, and threatens the ecosystem of those creatures who depend on it for survival. Liberate your earth. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: Only in the light of your presence, O Hope of our dear planet, and thanks to the promises of life abundant given by Jesus, are we willing to look at what we have done. Grant us confidence to begin again – to build something new. And unite us in a way that leads to justice and truth. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
One: And now let us pray as Jesus taught us:
All: Our Mother and 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:
One: Where our treasure is, there our hearts follow. Let us invest in the new realm of justice, dignity and peace for all peoples. And may our hearts rejoice in the sharing of our gifts.
OFFERTORY SOLO: Rise Up, My Heart, With Gladness arr. Patrick Liebergen Sarah Baxter, alto
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
One: Lord, we are grateful for the gifts you give. And we pray that the small gifts we return will be kindled into a dancing fire of goodness in the world, benefitting especially those who are poor. In the name of the risen Christ, we pray,
All: Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: Praise the Lord! God’s Glories Show GTG#33
CHARGE AND BLESSING: (from Red Crearte, a liturgical network of Latin American Christians)
One: May the God of justice lead us through the tumultuous seas. May the Christ who came to dwell among us renew the strength of our dreams. May the Holy Spirit guide us to still waters where justice, solidarity, and peace reign. Amen.
POSTLUDE: Victory Alec Wyton
A WESTPORT WARM WELCOMING!
- WELCOME! MEMBERS! NEWCOMERS! FRIENDS! We are so glad you could join us for worship today! VISITORS, please take a moment to let us know you were here by picking up an attendance card (in the pews) and filling out whatever information you would like to share with us.
- WELCOME FAMILIES! NURSERY care is available in the upstairs children’s space. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once). Children’s Sunday School will meet during the second half of worship in the in the 2nd floor Children’s Space. Children are invited to remain in the service until the “Time for Young Disciples” and then go upstairs for the remainder of the service.
- HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICES available upon request. Talk to Deanna up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one.
- CHILDREN’S CHOIR PRACTICE: Kids that want to sing with the choir are invited to join Renee in the front of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings from 10:00-10:25 a.m.
- HELP NEEDED: After worship today, volunteers are needed to help us empty out the storefront space. We are participating in the OPEN DOORS! program and will be welcoming the National Association of Asian American Professionals of Kansas City to operate a Pop Up Gallery and Workshop in our Storefront Space for 6 months beginning May 1. We need help relocating furniture after church today in advance of their move.
MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:
- WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sunday mornings & Thursday nights. Items Needed for our CLOTHING CLOSET include: Sneakers, T-shirts, Underwear (Men’s Boxer Briefs), Socks, Women’s pants/shorts size 0-8, Men’s pants/shorts size 28-40, Bandaids, Sweatpants, Leggings, Belts, Backpacks, Body wash, Sports bras, & Washcloths.
- WESTPORT SHOWERS is looking for additional volunteers to help with Sunday mornings. With the increase in guests, we would like to have teams of 2 volunteers upstairs working together at the door and 2 downstairs working in the shower/laundry room each Sunday. You would be working with experienced volunteers who can train you in what is needed. If you would like to help, and are willing to volunteer 1 Sunday morning a month, reach out to Drew Irwin or Allison Rozga for more information.
- THE RESOURCE CENTER will be moving to the Fellowship Area and will be moving to Thursdays (instead of Fridays) beginning next week (April 30), as we make room for the OPEN DOORS! Program in the storefront. Support groups will also be moving to other spaces.
- We are giving out lunches on Thursdays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of fruit cups, meat, cheese, peanut butter, squeeze jelly are always needed.
- Westport Presbyterian has become a member of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and we are planning a Pre-Pride Vendor event on Saturday, May 23rd from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. as a fundraiser for Westport Showers. We are seeking Makers, Artists, and Authors to participate. $25 suggested donation to secure a vendor spot. This is a family friendly event. We will have a kids corner with crafts & activities. Author talks throughout the day. For more infomation visit: westportpresbyteiran.org/events/pre-pride
INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK: (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted)
- Monday, Apr. 27 5:30 p.m. MO Workers Center Meeting (Fellowship Room)
6:30 p.m. Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
7:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room) - Tuesday, Apr. 28 1:00 p.m. Daikin HVAC Training (Office)
4:30 p.m. Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel) - Wednesday, Apr. 29 7:00 p.m. Stewardship Committee Meeting (Zoom)
- Thursday, Apr. 30 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
5:30 p.m. Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non-conforming people (Basement) - Friday, May 1 11:30 a.m. Children’s Mercy Healthy Families Group (Fellowship Room)
- Saturday, May 2 8:30 a.m. Private Rental – Meeting (Living Room/Library)
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Willow Woods CPR/First Aid Training (Basement)
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Dancing Word Rehearsal (Basement) - Sunday, May 3 8-9:30 a.m. Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
- Connection Hour Small Groups:
10:00 a.m. Book Discussion Group
10:00 a.m. Children’s Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
11:00 a.m. Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
Children’s Sunday School/Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
12:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
5:00 p.m. Chili/Soup Potluck Dinner (Fellowship Room)
6:00 p.m. Taizé Service (Sanctuary)
MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: from Riva Capellari
- Missouri voters will decide later this year whether to grant lawmakers power to increase and expand the sales tax in order to raise revenue needed to eliminate the income tax. Higher sales taxes will shift the tax burden to lower income Missourians who must spend most or all of their income on necessities. The proposal would direct lawmakers to set a revenue baseline and triggers for phased-in reductions in the top income state tax rate. It also allows five years for the Legislature to write a new sales tax law, which must be directly tied to cuts in the top income tax rate in a manner supporters hope will not increase or decrease revenue. The sales tax is 3% for general revenue, but earmarked state taxes and local options stack on top of that, creating a rate that is 7% to 8% in most locations and can be as much as 12% in some special districts. Missouri gets about 65% of its state revenue from income tax, about 22% from sales tax and the rest from other sources including a corporate income tax. To replace the revenue from the income tax without expanding coverage of the sales tax would increase the tax rate by as much as 8.5% (from baseline 3%). Senators hope to balance next year’s budget with surplus money and one-time funds while acknowledging the numbers could be off — capital gains refunds have already pulled revenue behind last year’s pace. Details about what if any items/services will be sales tax exempt is still in the works. The sales tax increase, however, cannot be enacted without permission from voters. (Missouri Independent)
- SB 986 – Missouri’s state version of the SAVE Act, would require new registrants to provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers, to register to vote in Missouri. Married women, young voters, seniors, voters with disabilities, voters of color, low-income earners, and transgender voters would be disproportionately affected. Would require clerks to operate a two-tiered voter registration system to differentiate state from federal voters. PASSED Senate elections Committee. Will need to go to House.
- Preliminary data from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office confirms that a sufficient number of signatures were collected, in every required congressional district, to put the referendum on the November ballot for the new voting maps. Once a referendum or petition has reached the required number of verified signatures in each of the required districts, the Secretary of State immediately certifies it. Secretary Hoskins is delaying this certification. It is still not clear which maps will used for the August or November elections.
- For information on what’s going on in the Kansas Legislature, check out The Beacon.
- Do you know any high school students who are going out of state for college? LWV has new materials that will help them decide where and how to vote. If you would like some of these cards to put into graduation cards, please let me know. Missouri, Kansas and other states no longer allow student IDs to vote. They will have to vote by absentee ballot.
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