May 10, 2020 Easter 5

Morning Worship Text: May 3, 2020
Fourth Sunday of Easter

Before we begin, gather a candle or small light, your Bible, a piece of bread and a cup of juice or water. Place them at the center of a calm area in your home and gather comfortable seating for all who will join you. Place your phone, tablet  or computer where you can see and hear it.  You may want to connect a charger, rather than rely on battery. Add a piece of white fabric, a cross or bright spring flowers to complete your worship center.
 Today, have each person in your household choose a stone to go in the worship area.
 

Welcome


Musical Meditation


Focus

We place stones in our worship area today, one for each of us as individuals. They remind us how God is building one church out of all of our individual lives. We remember the people who have come before us, whose lives of faith laid the foundation for our own. We remember Christ, the cornerstone of this Church that God is building throughout the world. As we place our stones today, we consider our own roles in the wider purpose of the whole Church and our connections to each other. And we reflect on the love of God that makes a welcome table, here inside this Church.

Lighting the Christ Candles      We light our candles or lights.

Voice 1: In the beginning, God said,
Voice 2: "Let there be light," and there was light.
Voice 1: We light these candles today,
Voice 2: Because God is with us in this time and in all these places.



Call to Worship    We read together responsively.

Voice 1: We gather to worship in the name of Jesus Christ, our living cornerstone,
Voice 2: Who, though rejected by the world, was chosen and precious in God’s sight.

Voice 1: And like living stones, let us be built up into a spiritual house for God,
Voice 2: Offering sacrifices of worship and praise that are pleasing in his sight.

Voice 1: Let’s worship God together!


~ Christine Longhurst. posted on re:Worship https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/05/call-to-worship-for-easter-5.html


Invocation    We pray together in unison.

Almighty God, you have built your Church
on the foundation of the apostles and prophets
with Jesus Christ, himself, being the chief cornerstone.
Join us together in unity of spirit by their teaching,
that we may become a holy temple, acceptable to you:
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

— from Starters for Sunday, posted on the website of the Church of Scotland.


Scripture: I Peter 2:2-10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:
“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
 has become the very head of the corner,”
and
“A stone that makes them stumble,
 and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people,; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.


Sermon 
 


Invitation to the Table The bread and cup and placed on the table for the Lord’s Supper.

"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having the goodwill of all the people."


Prayer of Communion Elders this month are  Kathy Sharp and Gwynne Griffith.

Words of Institution We break the bread and lift the cup as the words are spoken.

The Lord's Supper We share in the bread and cup as we hear the music.


Prayer of Thanksgiving "The Lord's Prayer"

Our 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.


Prayers of the People

Seeking peace in a broken world,
And knowing God’s peace through God’s presence,
we pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Seeking peace in suffering, illness, and pain,
And finding God’s peace through healing, prayer, and those who help
we pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Seeking peace through our distress, depression, isolation, and fear,
And knowing God’s peace through the words of loved ones
and the hope we see in the world,
we pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.

Seeking peace through the pain of worshipping separately,
longing for our holy community to be gathering,
And finding peace through God’s presence with each of us
as we worship together distantly,
we pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, loving Lord.
We need you now, as we have needed you every day.
We cannot live without you.
Amen.

~ written by Pastor Nissa Peterson, Chatfield & Root Prairie Lutheran Churches. Posted on MightyNiss https://mightyniss.blogspot.com/2020/04/kyrie-for-worship-during-coronavirus.html


Challenge for Discipleship


Blessing     We speak in unison.
All Voices: 
The Light that was in one place and at one time, is now in all places and all times, for God has placed the light in us.  We abide in peace!  Amen.