6464 E. Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX 75214, USA
About Us
Celebrating 130 Years of Sharing Christ's Love!
WELCOME
St. Paul’s Church is celebrating its 130th Anniversary this year, and we invite you to visit us on Sunday to explore the richness of St. Paul’s Church and its history of Dallas. We have been in our present location since the completion of its new sanctuary and dedication on April 7, 1957. * Our goal continues to be to reach and serve others with the love of Christ and his good news. * The history of St. Paul’s Church is a Journey of Faith that tracks with the social and cultural development of the City of Dallas. * The foundation of St. Paul’s Church was laid by faith and has placed us in a unique location to serve at the geographic heart of Dallas. * We welcome you to our services today, and we look forward to your continuing presence with us as we pursue St. Paul’s Church’s Journey of Faith in the future.
Sunday Morning Church Services at 11:00 A.M.
About Us
Worship
Christian Education
Worship
Worship Service 11:00 am Sundays
Music
Christian Education
Worship
Music Program featuring Will Kanute,
Choir Director/Organist and the
Range Pipe Organ
Christian Education
Christian Education
Christian Education
Sunday School for Adults and Youth
Each Sunday at 10:00 am
Donations
Thank you for your generous gifts to our mission and ministry.
POSTPONEMENT OF ALL SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
TEMPORARY POSTPONEMENT
All church services and activities at St. Paul's Church physical location have been temporarily cancelled, unless notified otherwise. We will be following local, state, and national guidelines. We are still the church, worshiping at home, scattered but gathered.
Wear a mask; Wash your hands; Stay in; use common sense. Call, text, or email one another while physically separated. Be in prayer.
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
Announcement! Virtual Potluck this Sunday, June 28 from noon-12:30 via Free Conference Call.
You’re welcome to bring your lunch to the computer and eat while we talk! Instead of a free for all, Pastor will invite each person to give us a One-Minute update of your life. This way we can all catch up at least a little. If you don’t have video, there is an option to call in.
If you want to join on your computer or other device through Free Conference Call, you will need to download the app (which is free). You’ll just need to make sure you click on “Call in Using Wifi or Data” and then you can choose to join in with video or just audio.
Online meeting ID: revkayla
Join the online meeting: https://join.freeconferencecall.com/revkayla
If you just want to join from your phone and hear everyone’s voice:
Dial-in number (US): (425) 436-6316
Access code: 300640#
For additional assistance connecting to the meeting text 'Call Me' to the Dial-In number above and you will be called into the conference. Message and data rates may apply.
Prelude: Echoes of Joy by Hans-André Stamm
Click on St. Paul Playlist-pause at end
Opening Prayer and Hymn
Opening Prayer
God of Life and Love,
Make us have perpetual love and reverence for you,
for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set
upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness;
through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Hymn: If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee
Click Play on Saint Paul Playlist-hit pause at end.
Confession, Gloria Patri & Anthem & Video
Confession
Resurrecting God, confident in your love,
still my heart and my mind and my body
that I might turn toward you again.
Silence
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways. Amen.
+May God who binds all of creation together
weave each of us into a story built of love, justice and abundant life.
Listen, give thanks, and live.
Gloria Patri: click play on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: Here I am Lord arranged by Craig Courtney
Click on Saint Paul Playlist-Pause at End
Video
Scripture and Reflection
Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14
Reflection
+I believe we can all agree that the God we worship condemns human sacrifice. Which makes this a very difficult story. The story itself is framed with this idea of “God testing Abraham.” Would God test Abraham by convincing him to sacrifice his son? A son through whom God has promised a great nation? This seems alarming, and not terribly consistent. If God isn’t a God of human sacrifice, then why would God demand loyalty in the form of such a sacrifice? It doesn’t make sense. And we might be hesitant to question what we read in the Bible, but it’s a good practice, because it can help us to understand better. If we assume the narrator is reliable, then this is a test of Abraham by God. But it’s our inner narrator (or perhaps our church school narrator) which interprets the meaning of this test. Scripture doesn’t tell us what God is testing about Abraham. We have guessed piety. God wants to see how faithful Abraham is, how loyal he is. Is Abraham willing to sacrifice Isaac just because God tells him to do so? Will Abraham trust God, who promised him a nation of offspring, as God tells him to sacrifice his son? According to this reading, Abraham passes, God saves Isaac, and life continues. Of course, then we have to reckon with a God who performs such tests. Which is the difficult piece of this story, isn’t it? Do we desire to worship a God who would call us to sacrifice our child just to test our faithfulness?
+We have assumed this is a test of piety. But what if it’s something else entirely? Abraham and God have had this close relationship, talking and walking with one another on multiple occasions. Abraham pleaded to God for Lot’s life. This hasn’t been a one way relationship built on tests of piety from a demanding God. Rather, they’ve held an intimate relationship with two-way conversations. When Abraham pushed back against God’s plan to destroy Sodom, God agreed to save Lot. So why doesn’t Abraham push back right now? He’s already allowed one son to be sent off to probable death. Will he really just let this one go, too? It wouldn’t be unfaithful for Abraham to protest to God here. He’s done it before--that’s the nature of their relationship. But here, Abraham just packs Isaac up and leads him off to sacrifice. He has not fought for either son. And maybe his guilt over Ishmael consumes him in this moment, but he does no better here. So this begs the question: did Abraham pass the test?
+If we look closely, we see a shattering in this story. Sarah has been conspicuously absent. What would she have to say? All we know is that she and Abraham don’t speak again in the telling of the story. He goes to live in Beer-sheba. She lives in Kiriath-arba. He cares for her after her death, but we never see Sarah reach toward Abraham again. In the same way, Isaac and Abraham don’t speak again. Isaac and Ishmael seem to reunite, but Abraham is not part of that reunion. And then there’s the matter of God. God and Abraham spoke regularly before this test, but never after. Even in the second half of this story, it’s the angel of God speaking from heaven, not God and Abraham speaking together. Abraham’s family is shattered.
+We agreed at the beginning that the God we worship condemns human sacrifice. It follows that we, too, condemn human sacrifice. So, do we? Which deaths do we accept too easily? We know that we worship a God of life and love. We know that our community is based in life and love. We know this. But we have a really hard time seeing when our society clashes with those values. We have a terrible time seeing when our commitment to life and love has been superseded by any other number of things. My hope for us is this: that we can create a filter of life and love that we apply to every situation we encounter. In politics: are these policies encouraging life and love for all of God’s creation? In society: is there anyone to whom this practice causes death or injustice? In economics: are we prioritizing life and love for the most vulnerable? In church: how will we offer life and love to those who we previously cast out? As you read the news this week, I encourage you to read it with this filter of life and love, asking the difficult questions about who has been cast aside or offered for sacrifice, and looking for the points in the story when we need to be arguing back.
Prayers of the People. Lord's Prayer.
Prayers of the People
God of life and love, you gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth;
but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- We give you thanks for your commitment to abide among us and within us.
- We pray for world leaders who continue to navigate the pandemic. Make their first priority care for the people in their charge. We pray particularly for Texas, as our hospitals reach capacity and cases rise exponentially. Teach us to place care for one another ahead of our own individual comforts, that we might value life and love.
- We pray for our nation, and the sin of racism which continues to plague us. Move our hearts that we might repent and be free. Show us practical ways that we can combat racism in ourselves and our communities, that we might extend our commitment to life and love to our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color siblings.
- We pray for those who have been sacrificed in the name of the powers that be. Guide us to extend life and love to those moments when death prevails.
- We pray for those who are struggling financially. Create a new world, O God, in which all have food and shelter, love and belonging.
- We pray for those who are ill and in pain, and those who care for them. Offer them healing, and remind them of your love.
.
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn: All My Hope on God Is Founded
Click on Saint Paul Playlist- Pause at end
Closing Prayer***
Gathered and scattered, God is with us.
In suffering and in hope, God is with us.
Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: Fantasia Piedi Veloci by Hans-André Stamm
Click on Saint Paul Playlist
***Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR pentecost SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
Prelude: Chorale and Variations on Come, Holy Spirit by Maurice Duruflé
Click on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
"https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLVCoMs6C85HVs1VwFpqNOtnkx2qzv3HJW"
Gathering Poem and Opening Prayer
Gathering Video and Opening Prayer
+As we celebrate the birth of the church on this Pentecost Sunday, I’ve included a video about the church in Ethiopia. Did you know that they surround their church buildings with forests in order to recall the garden of Eden? I had never heard of this! It makes me wonder about the things that we find to be essential to our faith, and what those things tell us about who we are and how we relate to God and one another. I tend to believe that growing my understanding of cultures other than my own will increase my compassion and help me to hear those from whom I feel divided. Perhaps your experience leads you to the same idea? Check out this story by clicking on the Saint Paul Playlist (and pause at the end so you’ll be at the correct place for the next hymn).
The Church Forests of Ethiopia
Holy God, you spoke the world into being.
Pour your Spirit to the ends of the earth,
that your children may return from exile
as citizens of your commonwealth,
and our divisions may be healed
by your word of love and righteousness. Amen.
Hymn and Confession*
Hymn: There’s a Sweet, Sweet Sprit in This Place
Click Play on Saint Paul Playlist-hit pause at end.
Confession
Resurrecting God, confident in your love,
still my heart and my mind and my body
that I might turn toward you again.
Silence
We need your healing, merciful God:
Give us true repentance.
Some sins are plain to us;
Some escape us,
Some we cannot face.
Forgive us; set us free to hear your word to us;
Set us free to serve you.
God who binds all of creation together
weaves each of us into a story built of love and justice .
Listen, give thanks, and live.
Gloria Patri & Anthem
Gloria Patri: click play on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: Veni Creator (Come, Holy Spirit) Canon/Taizé
Click on Saint Paul Playlist-Pause at End
Scripture and Reflection
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34; John 20:19-23
Reflection
- Pentecost is largely about people coming together, but when we look around the world, one of the things we might see is all the ways we are divided from one another. Looking at the divisions in our country (and there are many), several are shouting themselves loud and clear right now. We see racially motivated violence around our country, and we hear so much pain from our neighbors of color who continue to be targets of racism. And at the same time, we have a huge debate happening about whether to reopen or stay closed. No matter the issue at hand, our way of dealing with it repeats itself. We argue, dig in our heals, call names, and retreat to our corners. As long as we allow this division to reign, though, we’ll keep losing sight of all the good we can do together. Are there places in our community that you can see to open the conversation beyond this division, so that we can better love ourselves and our neighbors? Is there anything God is calling you to do toward this end?
- Pentecost is a joyous celebration of this moment in time when people from all sorts of different places were able to come together, and the Holy Spirit allowed them to understand one another despite language barriers or cultural barriers. The Spirit unites the people--and no artificial human rendering can divide us, not truly, not permanently. Where have you seen the Spirit at work uniting people, whether in recent days or further back in your memory? Might you see this work of the Spirit in the coming week?
- The Holy Spirit is among us and within us, just as Christ has promised. Take time this week to sit in the Spirit, to feel her movement, and to rest in her love, even if chaos echoes around you.
Prayers of the People. Lord's Prayer.
Prayers of the People
God of life and love, you gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth;
but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- We thank you for your commitment to life beyond death. Open our eyes to find you among us and within us.
- We pray for the church throughout the world. Inspire the children of your church for prophetic witness to your truth, and upon old and young give clarity of vision to carry on with your work in this world.
- We pray for our neighbors and the people of Dallas. Teach us to be good neighbors, to live in peace with one another, to care for one another, and to build bonds of friendship.
- We pray for the nations of the world, and its leaders. Overcome the babble of misunderstanding among the nations, and let all people hear in their own language and recognize in their own culture your unifying message of love.
- We pray for planet Earth, our home. By your Spirit, renew the earth, make us good stewards of its resources, and teach us to enjoy its abundance rightly.
- We pray for all in sickness or in need, both those we know and those who we have never met. Send your healing Spirit upon them and restore them to health.
- We pray for all the ways in which we are divided. Grant us wisdom to carve paths upon which we can walk in compassion and unity.
Blessed are you, Eternal One, our rock and our refuge, who offers us shelter and love.
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Communion
Communion
People of Saint Paul, Will and Pastor Kayla have made an audio recording of our Great Thanksgiving. If you would like to participate in communion this week, click on the link to hear the recording. You have two options:
1. You can participate with your household at home, using your own bread and wine or juice, awaiting the day when we can celebrate the Eucharist in person once more.
2. We will have the host available on Pentecost Sunday from 11am-noon in the circle drive. If you would like to participate in this way, you may drive through to receive the host. We ask that you remain in your car while you are on campus. Pastor will greet you at your car with a small cup containing the host. Those preparing and serving will wear gloves and masks.
Click here for the recording Service of Holy Communion,
or here is a communion prayer for those unable to access the recording:
Praise and glory to you creator Spirit of God;
You make our bread Christ’s body to heal and reconcile
And to make us the body of Christ.
You are truth.
You come like the wind of heaven, unseen, unbidden.
Like the dawn, you illuminate the world around us;
You grant us a new beginning every day.
You warm and comfort us.
You give us courage and fire and strength beyond our every day resources.
Be with us Holy Spirit in all we say or think,
In all we do this and every day.
Sustainer, may we who have received this sacrament
live in the unity of your Holy Spirit,
that we may show forth your gifts to all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn: We All Are One in Mission
Click on Saint Paul Playlist- Pause at end
Closing
Closing Prayer*
Gathered and scattered, God is with us.
In suffering and in hope, God is with us.
Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit
Click on Saint Paul Playlist
*Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.
Other prayers this week come from New Zealand Book of Prayer and Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion.
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
Saint Paul Sunday 5-17-2020 Playlist
A note from Pastor Kayla: It occurs to me as I prepare this worship, that this week marks one year that I’ve been with you as your pastor. I have so loved our time together, though admittedly, I have not so much loved the last two months when we haven’t been able to gather in person. I miss seeing you. You are a lovely people and a joy to walk alongside. I hope that this coming year of ministry brings joy and hope and growing in God’s love.
God’s Peace and All Good, Pastor Kayla
Prelude: Variations on “All Creatures of Our God and King” by Denis Bédard
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLVCoMs6C85HXlZcrByKEUYH5XCXm9u06P
Click on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Gathering Poem and Opening Prayer
“The Poet Comments on Yet Another Approaching Spring” by Mary Oliver
Don’t flowers put on their
prettiness each spring and go to it with
everything they’ve got? Who
would criticize the bed of yellow tulips or the blue
hyacinths?
So put a
bracelet on your ankle with a
bell on it and make a little music for
the earth beneath your foot, or wear a hat with hot-colored
ribbons for the pleasure of the
leaves and clouds, or at least a ring with a gleaming
stone for your finger; yesterday
I watched a mother choose
exquisite ear-ornaments for someone beloved, in the spring
of her life; they were
for her for sure, but also it seemed
a promise, a love-message, a commitment to all girls, and boys too, so
beautiful and hopeful in this hard world and young.
The peace of the Risen Christ be with each of you.
Keep your church alert, Holy Spirit, ready to hear when you are calling, and ready to celebrate the beauty you weave among us. Keep us hopeful, Holy Spirit, connected with you, creation and one another. Amen.
Hymn
Hymn: I Sing the Mighty Power of God
Click Play on Saint Paul Playlist-hit pause at end.
Confession*
Resurrecting God, confident in your love, still my heart and my mind and my body that I might turn toward you again.
Silence
Loving God,
We do not always keep your commandments;
we fail to love you; our conscience is not clear. Wash us in the water of life that we may live again through the grace and mercy you bring
through your presence among and within us.
God, who raised Jesus from the dead has not given us over to death. Listen, give thanks, and live.
Gloria Patri & Anthem
Gloria Patri: click play on Saint Paul Playlist-pause at end
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments by Thomas Tallis
Click on Saint Paul Playlist-Pause at End
Scripture and Reflection
Scripture: Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:8-20 John 14:15-21
Reflection
+Jesus promises the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, that we might never be alone. “You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” Here we are with this idea of abide once again. The Spirit abides with us, we abide with Jesus, Jesus abides with God. Jesus, comforting his disciples, describes this big circle of abiding. We can’t separate from one another. This isn’t conditional; it is already so. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. This is our sure and certain hope.
+In Acts, as Paul is talking to the Athenians, he speaks this famous line: “In him we live and move and have our being” (17:28a). God isn’t something out “there” to be sought after. Rather, God is already here. Does this challenge your image of God? How, this week, might you notice God in your living and movement and being? Be mindful of God’s presence in you and with you.
+As Christians we talk about resurrection and new life. And a piece of that story is bound up in how we as humans, as part of creation, can be at one with God. Here in John and in Acts we hear that it is already so. We have no work to do here--God has done the work of making sure that we are together, that we abide in one another, that we live and move and be together. And so perhaps we can do as the poet suggested, making music for the earth and creating beauty for the children so that we can all rejoice in God’s presence. How will you celebrate the renewal of life?
Prayers of the People. Lord's Prayer.
Prayers of the People
God of life and love, you gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth;
but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- We thank you for your commitment to life beyond death. Open our eyes to find you among us and within us.
- We pray for the church, that we might discover new ways to care for one another and our neighbors, and that we might continue in God’s work of love and justice even as we cope with our own day to day challenges.
- We pray for all who hunger, and those who worry each day how they will care for themselves and their families.
- We pray for the governments of the world and its leaders, especially as they navigate caring for their people during a pandemic. Grant them wisdom and hearts open to the best interest of all in their jurisdiction.
- We pray for the earth, that we might shepherd well the resources we find therein, and we give thanks for all bursts of abundant life we find around us.
- We pray for the sick, the scared, those who grieve, the lonely and the crowded.
- We pray for our neighbors, that we continue to care for one another.
Blessed are you, Eternal One, our rock and our refuge, who offers us shelter and love.
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn: All Creatures of Our God and King
Click on Saint Paul Playlist- Pause at end
Closing Prayer*
Gathered and scattered, God is with us. In suffering and in hope, God is with us. Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: All Creatures of Our God and King setting by David Schack
Click on Saint Paul Playlist
*Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.
worship materials for Easter sunday, april 12, 2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered.
Prelude: Prelude in Classic Style by Gordon Young. Music link:
https://youtu.be/QGg5IqoLMXg?list=PLVCoMs6C85HVGgAxc1jhWXIPyd9x16q2M
Gathering Poem and Opening Prayer
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
“Sabbath Poem VII - 1982” by Wendell Berry
The clearing rests in song and shade.
It is a creature made
By old light held in soil and leaf,
By human joy and grief,
By human work,
Fidelity of sight and stroke,
By rain, by water on
The parent stone.
We join our work to Heaven's gift,
Our hope to what is left,
That field and woods at last agree
In an economy
Of widest worth.
High Heaven's Kingdom come on earth.
Imagine Paradise.
O Dust, arise !
God of Life, we praise you, that by the mighty resurrection of your son, you have
delivered us from sin and death and made your whole creation new. You are life
stronger than death. Love reigns. Raise our eyes to see you as the new day dawns.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Hymn: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today arr. by John Rutter
See Music Link
Confession*
God has opened the gates of righteousness that we may enter through them. Confident
in your love, still my heart and my mind and my body, o God, so that I might turn toward
you again.
Silence
Loving God, Maker of all, have mercy on me.
Jesus Christ, Servant of the poor, have mercy on me.
Holy Spirit, Breath of God, have mercy on me.
God of all life, I give my life to you from whom nothing in me is hidden.
You are before me God, you are behind.
You are around me God, you are within.
I bring the faith that is in me and the doubt.
I bring the joy that is in me and the sorrow.
I bring the hope that is in me and the despair.
I bring the hurts that I carry and the hurts that I have caused.
To join these faiths and doubts, joys and sorrows,
hopes and despairs, hurts carried, and hurts caused
to the faiths and doubts, joys, sorrows, hopes, despairs and hurts of my neighbors.
Restore me to the joy of your liberation and sustain in me a willing spirit.
For you have shown me the paths that lead to life, and your presence fills me with joy.
Amen.
God, who raised Jesus from the dead has not given us over to death. Listen, give
thanks, and live.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
See Music Link
Anthem: He Is Not Here by Russell Nagy
Scriptures --- Reflection
Isaiah 65:17-25 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 John 20:1-18
+Where Mary expects to find death, she encounters life. Where have you found life when you thought the only thing to see was death?
+Does the story of Christ’s resurrection speak to the things the world is experiencing now—fear, uncertainty, sorrow, death? If so, how? Where do we find hope here?
+How will it be that life rings truer than death, and that death will not claim the final word? How we join God in carrying life into the world?
Apostles' Creed. Prayers of the People. Lord's Prayer.
Prayers of the People:
God of life and love,
You gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth; but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC and unite our hearts in prayer:
- We thank you for your commitment to life beyond death.
- We pray for the members of St. Paul’s, as well as our distant friends and family.
- We pray for the church throughout the world, that we may renew our faith and strengthen our witness.
- We pray for our leaders—international, national, state, and local—that they may practice compassion and reject a politic of death and suffering.
- We pray for the sick and those in distress, that they may find healing and restoration.
- We pray for the poor and the stranger, that they may receive a place of refuge, hope and hospitality.
- We pray for the earth, and the creatures therein.
- We pray for our enemies, that we may love them and be agents of reconciliation in the name of Jesus.
Almighty God receive these prayers we offer, and by the power of your Holy Spirit, use us for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Hymn: Lift High the Cross
See Music Link.
Spiritual Communion Prayer
We are not able today to share in the Holy Communion in attendance with one another. But we pray this prayer in assurance that we are not alone but gathered at a distance as one people alongside the great communion of saints. When we join together again in person, we will celebrate God’s resurrecting work through the Feast of Abundant Life. In the meantime, we pray.
My Jesus,
I believe that you are present in the most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive you into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there
and unite me wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you.
Amen.
Hymn: Thine is the Glory
See Music Link.
Closing Prayer -- Postlude
God of life, world maker, star-lighter, sun shiner, beauty maker, you provoke evolution from nothing but words of love. Eternal Heart of the Universe, I give you thanks.
Risen Christ, cross bearer, tomb raider, street healer, death defier, you embrace resurrection as the first-born from death. Eternal Heart of the Universe, I give you thanks.
Wise Spirit, life-giver, breath bringer, body lover, spirit sustainer, in your dance you weave us together. Eternal Heart of the Universe, I give you thanks.
God of life, world-maker, cross bearer, life-giver, you are our trinity of hope leading creation to its liberation. Eternal Heart of the Universe, I give you thanks.
I give you thanks for new life and for the assurance that death is not the final word. Grant us courage to go forward in hope, noticing resurrection every day of our lives. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Postlude: “Gigue” Fugue in G Major by J. S. Bach
See Music Link
WORSHIP MATERIALS FOR Palm Sunday 04/05/2020
Worship at Home, Scattered but Gathered
Prelude: Ride On! Ride on In Majesty! setting by Richard Syner
Gathering Poem and Opening Prayer**
“Sabbath Poem I - 1986” by Wendell Berry
Slowly, slowly, they return
To the small woodland let alone:
Great trees, outspreading and upright,
Apostles of the living light.
Patient as stars, they build in air
Tier after tier a timbered choir,
Stout beams upholding weightless grace
Of song, a blessing on this place.
They stand in waiting all around,
Uprisings of their native ground,
Down comings of the distant light.
They are the advent they await.
Receiving sun and giving shade,
Their life's a benefaction made,
And is a benediction said
Over the living and the dead.
In fall their brightened leaves, released,
Fly down the wind, and we are pleased
To walk on radiance, amazed.
O light come down to earth, be praised!
God of glory, God of grace, help me to praise you today in all I do and say. Amen.
Hymn: All Glory, Laud and Honor
Confession
Still my heart and my mind and my body, o God so that I might turn toward you again.
Silence
Merciful God, we have sinned in what we have thought and said, in the wrong we have done and in the good we have not done. We have sinned in ignorance: we have sinned in weakness: we have sinned through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry. We repent and turn to you. Forgive us, for our Savior Christ’s sake, and renew our lives to the glory of your name. Amen.
In Jesus Christ, God knows and receives us as we are. Listen, give thanks, and live.
Gloria Patri and Anthem
Gloria Patri: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToyMoJyeYDM
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Anthem: The Palms by Jean Baptiste-Faure
Scripture
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 Matthew 21:1-11
Reflection**
+As we shout praises along the way of our Christ, we remember, too, to share joy and appreciation with those we love. Give each member of your family or group of close friends a note of appreciation this week.
+Several weeks ago, when we met for our Lenten mid-week dinner and discussion, we talked about this passage from Matthew, and how the people were shouting “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us now!” We answered the question: what do we ask Jesus to save us from? It strikes me that our answer this week might be different than our answers several weeks ago as we gathered around one table at the church with far fewer than six feet between us. So, now, read this verse aloud:
“The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Save us now! From what are we asking Jesus to save us?
+Looking back to Berry’s poem at the beginning of this worship guide, what in the natural world—what landscapes, what creatures, strike you most as praising God? And in turn, what makes your heart sing? Explore these questions in a journal, or call someone to discuss them.
Prayers of the People*
God of grace and promise,
You gather and scatter your people to the ends of the earth; but wherever we find ourselves, we are never beyond the reach of your love.
Gather me together now with the people of St. Paul E&R UCC as I share in our common prayer:
- We thank you for your tender care, for soothing the wounds of this life.
- We thank you that in the presence of enemies, especially the last enemy of death, you are with us, as Shepherd, Host, Home.
- We pray for the members of St. Paul’s, as well as our distant friends and family.
- We pray for those afflicted with Covid-19, as well as all disease.
- We pray for the caregivers, the medical teams, the researchers and the public health officials.
- We pray for our leaders—international, national, state, and local.
- We pray for the church, now scattered, yet still one body.
- We pray for those who have lost or will lose their income.
- We pray for the children without school, provision, or nurture.
- We pray for the earth, and the creatures therein.
May they not fail you, nor I fail them.
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 debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Hymn: Ride On! Ride On, In Majesty!
Closing Prayer*
Gathered and scattered, God is with us.
In suffering and hope, God is with us.
Now and always, God is with us. Amen.
Postlude: Fanfarria Imperial by Padre Antonio Soler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHAN7UnPj1M
*Prayer Attribution: Iona Community Prayer Book, 2017.
**Poem and Reflection Questions adapted from: Salt Project’s “Wendell Berry and the Sabbath Poetry of Lent.” www.saltproject.org
February 26, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
A communion service with ashes. Open to all.