05/22/2022 – 6th Sunday of Easter
Morning prayer: Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us the desire to do only what pleases You, and the strength to do only what You command. Cleanse our souls, enlighten our minds, and inflame our hearts with Your Holy Spirit, that we may follow in the footsteps of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. – St. Francis of Assisi
Psalm 67
67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face to shine upon us, Selah
67:2 that Your way may be known upon earth, Your saving power among all nations.
67:3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
67:4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
67:5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.
67:6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.
67:7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere Him.
Hymn #64 Holy, Holy, Holy
- Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity! - Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be. - Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee,
though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see,
only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, perfect in power, in love and purity. - Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity.
Children’s message: Acts 16:9-15
During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.
How do you prepare for coming to church? Can someone tell me what you do before your family comes to church? Just like we must prepare and get ready before we come to church, in the same way, we must be prepared to tell people about Jesus.
How do you and your family feel when you arrive at church? Do you feel welcome here? What makes you feel welcome? Are you greeted by someone with kindness?
Today’s scripture passage teaches us about someone who was prepared to tell others about Jesus. Why should we tell others about Jesus? How can we tell others about Jesus? Those are all great ways to tell someone about Jesus. We can talk about how Jesus loves us or about how Jesus shows us how to live.
A woman named Lydia lived in Macedonia. She listened to what Paul said about Jesus. She believed it was true, so she became a follower of Jesus. Everyone in her house was baptized. That’s one example of why it is important to tell others about Jesus.
Purple cloth was rare, which made Lydia’s business very important. She opened her heart and welcomed people with her acts of hospitality.
What does the word “hospitality” mean? The dictionary defines the word as “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests.” Being a welcoming person certainly is one way we tell others through our actions about Jesus by making them feel welcome.
PRAYER: Loving and gracious God, thank You for the Bible, which gives us the stories of other people who tell the world about Jesus. The Bible helps us to prepare for those moments in our lives as well. Remind us that any time is the right time to tell people about You. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Prayers of Intercession: Lord we cry to You for help. You answer in words, in the deeds and acts of kindness, in the people around us. Hear the cries of our hearts for those we hold dear. We now pray as You have taught us: 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 sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Your Loving Choices ministers to young women and men (sometimes girls and boys) who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy. They offer education, medical information and support without judgment. The Missions team has designated $250 toward the mission of Your Loving Choices. See Cheryl Dent to designate some of your own offering as the Lord leads you.
Offering prayer: God of the mountains and the valleys, of the dry places and oceans: Your voice speaks to us across creation; the flowers and the trees sing of Your majesty; and the stars of the night speak of how much we still don’t know. As we offer gifts to You and speak our words of gratitude, help us to hear Your voice anew. Give us ears to hear, faith to believe, and determination to truly listen to how You would send us into a hurting world. In Christ, we pray. Amen.
Hymn of Preparation #347 Spirit Song
- O let the Son of God enfold you with His Spirit and His love.
Let Him fill your heart and satisfy your soul.
O let Him have the things that hold you, and His Spirit like a dove
will descend upon your life and make you whole.
Refrain: Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill Your lambs.
Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill Your lambs.
- O come and sing this song with gladness as your hearts are filled with joy.
Lift your hands in sweet surrender to His name.
O give Him all your tears and sadness; give Him all your years of pain,
And you’ll enter into life in Jesus’ name.
Refrain.
Jesus answered him, “Those who love Me will keep My word, and My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make Our home with them. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word that you hear is not Mine, but is from the Father who sent Me.
”I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
You heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
Message: The One Who Will Remind You and Teach You Everything
On our own, we only get so far. No matter how independent or self made you think you are, there is a limit of what you can accomplish. An infant without a caregiver, will die. A child without a teacher, will not learn, no matter how many books that child has access to. The books are of no use without the ability to read, and we don’t come naturally inclined to use written language or to even understand it. Don’t believe me? Try reading a book in a foreign language. Everything we are able to do, from eating to walking to talking and writing mathematical functions – all starts from the smallest foundations given to you by a teacher. That teacher could have been a parent or grandparent, your primary grade teacher … someone gave you the tools you needed to begin collecting the skills you have. Yes, God instilled your ability to be taught, but someone tapped into that ability and put you on a path of learning. That someone was a teacher.
A teacher is what Jesus is talking to His disciples about shortly before His crucifixion. John captures Jesus’ conversations with His disciples so beautifully. Jesus is trying to fit in all these last conversations right after His last evening with the disciples and He desires for them to feel comforted and empowered by His leaving. His death is going to be traumatic for them, but Jesus is injecting hope for them. Jesus knows He will be resurrected, but the disciples, although Jesus has been telling them all along, aren’t going to remember in the trauma of the days to come. None of them laugh at the cross or Jesus’ death and say don’t worry, He’ll be back. In the moment, they believe dead is dead and gone is gone. They will need to be reminded over and over throughout their ministries and encouraged and supported to go out and proclaim the Good News. In Jesus’s name, God sent them the Holy Spirit to dwell in and amongst them, and in and amongst us.
The Holy Spirit is what transforms the disciples into the Church. It instructed and empowered Peter to speak at Pentecost and it is what transformed Saul into Paul. The Holy Spirit is what distinguishes the Church from any other social organization. God is the focus and the Holy Spirit reminds us of who we are in relationship to God and who God is in relationship to us. It keeps the bond of community in and with us. It also teaches us everything we need to know to be the Church and share the Church.
Do you remember your favorite teacher, the one that left a lasting impression on you? They have followed you, have gone with you and that is what Jesus has given you, too: a good teacher that goes with you.
Prayer: Holy God, in Your good wisdom, You sent us a teacher that goes with us. Make us quick to hear the Spirits words, to respond to the Spirit’s nudging so we might be the Church You have called us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Closing Hymn #408 The Gift of Love
- Though I may speak with bravest fire, and have the gift to all inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain, as sounding brass, and hopeless gain.
- Though I may give all I possess, and striving so my love profess,
But not be given by love within, the profit soon turns strangely thin.
- Come, Spirit, come, and hearts control, our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed; by this we worship, and are freed.
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.