Crowd As Witness

MCC RE and Reflection MCC Joint Hybrid Service – January 23, 2022

Crowd as Witness

Order of Service

Introduction………………………………………………Rev. Amie Giordano

Announcements

Reflection MCC…………………………………. Rev. Sharon Henry

MCC of the Redwood Empire………….Don Ferrell (MCC RE)

Welcome to Visitors,
Opening Prayer and Candle Lighting…………… Rev. Sharon Henry

Centering Song …………………………. The Kin-dom of God (RMCC)

Oh that I could see your face
How I’m longing for the day
Brighter sun of holy grace
Make my heart a holy place

Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kin-dom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kin-dom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kin-dom of God

Beauty shining from your face
Always longed to see this place
Is there somewhere I can stay?
Even just a couple days?

Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kin-dom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kin-dom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kin-dom of God

The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want
In valley or pasture, we shall not want
Our cup runneth over and over
For now and forever; For now and forever

The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want
In valley or pasture, we shall not want
Our cup runneth over and over
For now and forever; For now and forever
For now and forever; For now and forever

[Our world is crowded today, have you felt it? There are the protesting crowds waving signs and hopes of change. Some have brought us hope and motivated us to move, others have brought us fear and tempted us to hide. The unmasked crowds have made us question. Both the crowds of the sick lining the chairs of the medical buildings and the crowds of the unhoused, lining the now tented sidewalks remind us of our vulnerability. And even when we stay indoors, there are the crowds of social media, news commentators, and cultural icons pushing in with their personal opinions and talking points. Sometimes it is overwhelming.

Jesus faced crowds daily. From the crowd that sat in expectation at his baptism, to the crowd hailing for his death. Some were crowds of need, others crowds of danger. Perhaps when we look closely, we can find a source of hope as we face our crowds knowing that God is present in each crowd, if only we, as Jesus did, determine to find God in it.]

Blessed are the poor who have nothing to own
Blessed are the mourners who are crying alone
Blessed are the guilty who have nowhere to go
For their hearts have a road to the kin-dom of God
And their souls are the songs of the kin-dom of God
And they will find a refuge for theirs in the kin-dom of God

Oh that I could see your face
How I’m longing for the day

Transition to Worship Songs………………………. Rev. Sharon Henry

Worship…………………………………. River of Praise Band (MCC RE)

Through It All

I’ve had many tears and sorrows,
I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
there’s been times I felt so all alone.
But in every situation,
God gave blessed consolation,
that my trials come to only make me strong.

Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon God’s Word.

I’ve been to lots of places,
I’ve seen a lot of faces,
there’s been times I felt so all alone.
But in my lonely hours,
yes, those precious lonely hours,
Jesus let me know that I was his own

Through it all, through it all, 
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon God’s Word.

I thank God for the mountains,
and I thank Her for the valleys,
I thank Him for the storms He brought me through.
For if I’d never had a problem,
I wouldn’t know God could solve them,
I’d never know what faith in God could do.

Through it all, through it all
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God
Through it all, through it all
I’ve learned to depend upon God’s word,
I’ve learned to depend upon God’s word.

Interdependence

We share interdependence of feelings and thoughts,
Even our perceptions and consciousness
As we roam this planet, walking our paths
We must learn there’s no me or mine in any one part

It takes all of us together, to make it through a day
All of us together to see clear through the haze
So take my hand my sister, and my brother too
For we’re all in this together, there’s no me, mine or you

Don’t think of yourself as better or worse
Comparison my friend will stifle your re-birth
Look for a wisdom that comes from within
You will find wisdom in solitude and friends

It takes all of us together, to make it through a day
All of us together to see clear through the haze
So take my hand my sister, and my brother too
For we’re all in this together, there’s no me, mine or you

It takes all of us together, to make it through a day
All of us together to see clear through the haze
So take my hand my sister, and my brother too
For we’re all in this together, there’s no me, mine or you

1st Reading ……………………………………………………… TBD (RMCC)

Quote from In Sweet Company by Margaret Wolf

We sit together and I tell you things,

Silent, unborn, naked things

That only my God has heard me say.

You do not cluck your tongue at me

Or roll your eyes

Or split my heart into a thousand, thousand tiny pieces

With words that have little to do with me.

You do not turn away because you cannot bear to see

Your own unclaimed light shining in my eyes.

You stay with me in the dark,

You urge me into being.

You make room in your heart for my voice.

You rejoice in my joy.

And through it all, you stand unbound

By everything but the still, small Voice within you.

I see my future Self in you

Just enough to risk

Moving beyond the familiar,

Just enough to leave

The familiar in the past where it belongs.

I breathe you in and I breathe you out

In one luxurious and contented sigh.

In sweet company

I am home at last.

2nd Reading…………………………………………. Rob Gulling (MCC RE)

 Luke 4:14-21 (Inclusive Bible)

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region.  He was teaching in the Galilean synagogues, and all were loud in their praise.  Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. Entering the synagogue on the Sabbath, as was his habit, Jesus stood up to do the reading.  When the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed him, he unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 

“The Spirit of our God is upon me: because the Most High has anointed me to bring Good News to those who are poor. God has sent me to proclaim liberty to those held captive, recovery of sight to those who are blind, and release to those in prison—  to proclaim the year of our God’s favor.” 

Rolling up the scroll, Jesus gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  Then he said to them, “Today, in your hearing, this scripture passage is fulfilled.”

Sermon: “Crowd as Witness”…………… Rev. Amie Giordano

Sermon Response Song …………………….. Testify to Love (RMCC)

All the colors of the rainbow, all the voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story, every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify

For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love

From the mountains to the valleys,
from the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy, every step to Kingdom come
All the hope in every heart will speak what love has done

For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live, I will testify to love

Prayers of the People
(Praises, then Prayer Requests) ……… Debbie McIrving Gulling (MCC RE)

Offering……………………………..…………….Rev. Amie Giordano

Celebration of Communion……………..Rev. John Torres (MCC RE) 

Thank Yous/Wrap Up
Celebrations…………………………………………….. Rev. Sharon Henry

Benediction ……………………………………………. Rev. Amie Giordano