Welcome
Below you will find prayers, songs, readings, and a message to help you experience worship. You can light a candle to remind yourself of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Whether you are alone or with others, we hope that you can feel each other’s presence, and the presence of God, as we find creative ways to worship together, even though we are not in the same building. One good thing about virtual worship is that if you really like a song, you can listen to it again! Do what you need to do to worship God wherever you are.
Call to Worship
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Opening Song
Open the Eyes of My Heart
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Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart. I want to see You. I want to see You.
To see You high and lifted up. shinin’ in the light of Your glory. Pour out Your power and love as we sing holy, holy, holy.
Prayer of the Day
Let us pray. God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen
Reading
Philippians 2:1-13
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1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
Children’s Moment
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Gospel and Message
Matthew 21:23-32
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23When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the dominion of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
Hymn of the Day
Change My Heart Oh God
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Change my heart oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart oh God. May I be like You
You are the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me. This is what I pray.
Apostles’ Creed, prayers and Lord’s prayer
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With the whole church, let us confess our faith.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers
Held together in one body by the Spirit of Christ, let us pray for the church and the world, and all who are in need.
Throughout the globe is the church: assemblies are changed by the virus, our songs quieted, our leaders searching for new ways forward. That you will continue to inspire all the baptized with the mind of Christ, we pray to you, faithful God. Lord, hear our prayer.
Around us is a needy world: governments allow injustice, violence threatens stability, people experience prejudice, workers are unemployed, medical facilities are strained, children are abused. That you will save the people in all the nations of the world, we pray to you, compassionate God: Lord, hear our prayer.
In our nation’s courts, we see justice delayed and justice denied. Yet we thank you for the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and for her passion for equality under the law. That you will uphold honest judges and insightful juries throughout our criminal justice system, and that you will assist our nation in its task of filling the Supreme Court, we pray to you, righteous God: Lord, hear our prayer.
Around us are the sick: there is starvation, the virus continues, many persons receive no medical attention. That you will relieve the suffering of those who are ill in body, mind, or spirit, we pray to you, merciful God. Lord, hear our prayer.
Before us lived countless of the faithful — the famous and the forgotten, our relatives and strangers. We lament their deaths, and we praise their witness. That we may confess Jesus Christ as Lord through our life and at our death, we pray to you, eternal God. Lord, hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else you see that we need, we entrust to your mercy; through Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Sending
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The God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus. The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The God of all grace ☩ bless you now and forever. Amen.
Go forth into the world to serve God with gladness; be of good courage; hold fast to that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted; honor all people; love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go in peace.
Share the good news.
Thanks be to God.
Sending Song
Let All Things Now Living
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Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving to God the creator triumphantly raise, who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us, who still guides us on to the end of our days. God’s banners are o’er us, God’s light goes before us, a pillar of fire shining forth in the night, till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished, as forward we travel from light into light.
God rules all the forces: the stars in their courses and sun in its orbit obediently shine; the hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains, the deeps of the ocean proclaim God divine. We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing; with glad adoration a song let us raise till all things now living unite in thanksgiving: “To God in the highest, hosanna and praise!”
Worship Assistants
Music: Lori
Message: Pastor Kristin
Readers: Dawn, Dylan and Nate
Children’s Moment: Pastor Kristin
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2005 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted and streamed by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS002432. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Hymns reprinted and streamed with permission. CCLI#1162147
Call to worship adapted from ‘Apart but Together’ by Cynthia Landrum and from the United Church of Christ’sWorship Ways Archive.