Younger Children’s Bulletin for May 3

Older Children’s
Bulletin for May 3

Good morning and welcome to our online worship! We pray that these online services will be a blessing and encouragement to you, even as we are not able to gather together.

Please be in prayer for the health of our church and our neighbors, and especially those who are working to keep the rest of us healthy in so many ways.
We especially ask for prayer today for:
• Members and family of our congregation recovering from illness and surgery
• Healing for those in our community and around us currently fighting the COVID-19 virus.
• Protection and strength for the medical and nursing staff in our community

We have a list of volunteers that are ready to help you by running errands (picking up groceries, medication, etc.).  Please call the church office, your deacon, or our Administrative Assistant, Anne Bowman, at home to make arrangements.

We are in the process of setting up a Mini Free Pantry (think Little Free Library) for those in our community in need of food or essential items. This will be installed in front of the church. If you would like to donate canned goods to share as we are setting up, please place them outside the East Entrance of the church or on a table in the Jubilee classroom.

The Church Board is inviting those who are able to make donations to our Community Needs Fund.  If you are receiving a Government Stimulus Check that you do not really need, this is one way to get the funds to those who do need them.  We have received a couple of inquiries for help at the church so far.  We expect this to accelerate in the coming weeks.

The Stewards are working hard looking for ways to reduce expenses during this difficult financial season. If you are able, you can submit offerings through the church website, or by by mailing a check to the church. Please note that offerings submitted through the website do incur a small processing fee. (That fee is smaller for donations from a checking account (ACH) than it is for credit card processing.) When you give your online offering, you can elect to either donate the amount required to cover the fee, or have it deducted from your offering amount. Either way, the total amount is included in your tax-deductible giving. Thank you for your continued giving to the ministries of the church.

May God’s care, compassion, and healing come with power in our communities.

Crown Him with Many Crowns

by Jeremiah Padilla | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366

The Lord is our shepherd.

He is our way, our truth, and our life.

The Lord calls us by name, and leads us where we need to go.

The Lord calls our name and we know and recognize his voice.

He is the one who gives his life for our sakes

He is the one who bears our transgressions and hold us in love.

He is the one who has the power and will to save us.

The Lord is our shepherd and we will follow him.

Opening Prayer
(inspired by Psalm 23, John 10)

Loving Shepherd,
you know our names;
you care for us.
When we face darkness and death,
walk beside us.
When we hunger for your love,
fill us with your presence.
When we are fearful,
feed us at your table.
May we dwell in the house of goodness and mercy
all the days of our lives. Amen.

by Mary Petrina Boyd
posted on Ministry Matters. http://www.ministrymatters.com/

John 20:19-29

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

The Lord’s prayer was taught to the disciple’s by Jesus when they came to ask him how they should pray.  It is not only a very complete prayer, but it is also a prayer full of faith.  The prayer is based on Jesus’s perfect knowledge of who God his.  The prayer trusts absolutely in God’s wisdom and grace, as well as God’s ability to provide what we need.

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 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,
for ever and ever
Amen.

O God, in Restless Living

O God, in restless living
We lose our spirits’ peace.
Calm our unwise confusion.
Bid Thou our clamor cease.
Let anxious hearts grow quiet,
Like pools at evening still,
Till Thy reflected heavens
All our spirits fill.

We grow not wise by struggling.
We gain but things by strain.
We cease to water gardens,
When comes Thy plenteous rain.
O beautify our spirits
In restfulness from strife;
Enrich our souls in secret
With abundant life.

O God, in Restless Living

by Jeremiah Padilla, Paul Wilson, David Tate | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366

This week we read a passage from the account of the Acts of the Apostles that is a wonderful encouragement and reminder that death never is the last word.

 

Acts 2: 24-28

God raised him up! God freed him from death’s dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him. David says about him,

“I foresaw that the Lord was always with me;
because he is at my right hand I won’t be shaken.
Therefore, my heart was glad
and my tongue rejoiced.
Moreover, my body will live in hope,
because you won’t abandon me to the grave,
nor permit your holy one to experience decay.
You have shown me the paths of life;
your presence will fill me with happiness.”

The “David” referenced in this passage is the Psalmist, and the quote is from the 16th Psalm.

Psalm 16: 5-11

You, Lord, are my portion, my cup;
you control my destiny.
The property lines have fallen beautifully for me;
yes, I have a lovely home.
I will bless the Lord who advises me;
even at night I am instructed
in the depths of my mind.
I always put the Lord in front of me;
I will not stumble because God is on my right side.
That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous;
yes, my whole body will rest in safety
because you won’t abandon my life to the grave;
you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.
You teach me the way of life.
In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.

-Based on a reading from Marcia McFee
www.worshipdesignstudio.com

This week, Children’s Disaster Services released information about new steps that they were taking to be able to help children in post-disaster scenarios, even while continuing to observe social distancing.  CDS is creating “individual Kit[s] of Comfort that will be distributed to children who have been displaced by a disaster.” As we have seen flooding hit the Church of the Brethren in the Congo this month, and an earthquake in Puerto Rico this week, along with devastating storms in the United States South earlier this spring, we are reminded that the caring work of the church is never finished. We are seeking new ways to be sharing with our neighbors as well, preparing a Mini-Free Food Pantry that will be set up in front of the church, along with a Prayer Request Box that will be available to our neighbors. Thank you for your continuing ministry to the people around you. Thank you for continuing to share God’s love. In doing so, we will be for many, the face of Jesus.

“Lockdown: A Reflection

Yes, there is fear.
Yes, there is isolation.
Yes, there is panic buying.
Yes, there is sickness.
Yes, there is even death.

But,

They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.

Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
so that the elders may have someone to call on.

Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary.

All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting.
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way.
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality;
to how big we really are,
to how little control we really have,
to what really matters,
to Love.

So we pray and we remember that:

Yes, there is fear.
But, there does not have to be hate.

Yes, there is isolation.
But, there does not have to be loneliness.

Yes, there is panic buying.
But, there does not have to be meanness.

Yes, there is sickness.
But, there does not have to be disease of the soul.

Yes, there is even death.
But, there can always be a rebirth of love.

Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic,
the birds are singing again.
The sky is clearing.
Spring is coming.
And we are always encompassed by Love.

Open the windows of your soul.
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

Brother Richard Hendrick, adapted
https://www.catholicbishops.ie/2020/03/16/prayer-resources-for-use-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

A Time for Children at the Feet of Jesus

If you are worshiping in a group with family, we encourage you to share the reading of the below texts between you. Or, if you prefer, you can play the introduction and audio recording of the text below.

Luke 21:34-36 ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
Matthew 24:9-14 ‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.

Come, Now is the Time to Worship

Chorus
Come, now is the time to worship.
Come, now is the time to give your heart.
Come, just as you are to worship.
Come, just as you are before your God.
Come.

One day every tongue
Will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains
For those who gladly choose You now.

[Chorus]

One day every tongue
Will confess You are God.
One day every knee will bow.
Still the greatest treasure remains
For those who gladly choose You now.
(Repeat)

[Chorus]

Come. Come. Come.

Come, Now is the Time to Worship

by PVCOB Praise Team | Streamed with permission. CSPL121366

Prayer of the Church during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Gracious and loving God,
the Psalmist reminds us that,
‘You are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.’

God, we feel deeply that our world is in trouble
with the spread of the coronavirus.
There is a heightened sense of fear and anxiety about the future.

We ask that we may calmly and lovingly trust in you
and care for all who are affected by this pandemic.
Please bless the work of health professionals,
government officials, aged care providers, school and community leaders.
Grant them strength and wisdom.

We pray for all who feel stressed and worried,
that they might find peace and reassurance.
Free us from panic and selfish stockpiling.

We pray for all those who mourn the loss of loved ones to the virus,
that they will find comfort and support.

May all our congregations and faith communities
be places of empathy, compassion and calm in all we face.

by Rev. Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia.
https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/blog/covid-19-prayer-from-the-moderator/

No Longer Blind

by Mutual Kumquat | Streamed by special permission.