A Service of Worship for
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Education
Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow One of the most important and influential books written in the 21st century about the injustices of racism, particularly as manifest in the criminal justice system and the War on Drugs, is legal scholar and civil rights activist Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. It spent 250 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list after its publication in 2010. In October 2012, Alexander spoke at Houston's Progressive Forum. Not long after that, the Adult Education class showed videos of this speech over two successive Sundays. Given the current intense discussion and worldwide protests of racial injustice, we invite you to listen to this powerful presentation and the Q&A that followed by clicking Progressive Forum presents Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow. 
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Prelude
2103 Drum Jam Session, Covenant Retreat, Hank Bond and Mac Wells, drums. Call to Worship Opening Sentences “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” Scripture Lesson: Romans 6:12-23 Time for Children Call to Confession Unison Confession
True reconciliation is based on forgiveness, and forgiveness is based on true confession, and confession is based on penitence, on contrition, on sorrow for what you have done. Forgiveness, gives us the capacity to make a new start. That is the power, the rationale, of confession and forgiveness. It is to say, “I have fallen but I am not going to remain there. Please forgive me.” And forgiveness is the grace by which you enable the other person to get up, and get up with dignity, to begin anew. Not to forgive leads to bitterness and hatred, which, just like self-hatred and self-contempt, gnaw away at the vitals of one’s being. Whether hatred is projected out or projected in, it is always corrosive of the human spirit. Music “The Covenant Hymn” words by Vassar Miller, music by Thomas Avinger, sung by Joyce Courtois. |
Proclamation
Prayer We pause in silence to remember all the joys and sorrows that we share within this community. We hold our country in our prayer as rates of COVID-19 infection soar. We pray for those who are sick, we pray for those who mourn. We pray for medical workers: for aids, nurses, doctors, vets. We pray for sanitation workers and letter carriers. We pray for grocery workers and restaurant workers. We pray for those now without work. We pray for the desperate and despairing. We pray for leadership. We pray our elected officials will make decisions for the entire community. We pray for the selfishness we see around us as people refuse to wear masks and physically distance. We pray that everyone in our communities will be willing to care not just about themselves and their friends and families but about everyone. This Sunday, God, when our scripture passage speaks of sin and of slavery, we come to you with deep wounds. Wounds created by the normalizaiton and glorification of slavery in passages like this one from Paul. Wounds created by the way passages like this one have been used to perpetuate the evils of white supremacy. Wounds created by the way ideas of sin have been used to tell some of us that you did not and could not love us. There is much for which those who have abused your name and religion must atone. Help us, Oh God, not to give up. Help us to see that there is a path forward, not a path that pretends nothing is wrong, not a path that ignores pain and abuse, not a path of lying to ourselves and each other but your path - your path of love and justice. Help us, Oh God, not to give up. Help us to hold each other, to share our pain and sorrow and regret, help us to see our part, help us to offer our attention, our listening, our willingness to change. Help us, Oh God, not to give up. Help us to hope. Help us to act out of that hope so that we are not consumed by fear or helplessness. Remind us that we are all connected, intertwined, that cooperation rather than competition is possible, that equality not subjugation is possible, that love and peace instead of hate and violence are possible. This morning and every morning, we pray our PRIDE. We celebrate LGBTQ+ people. We celebrate this anniversary of trans Black women refusing to be silent, refusing to be oppressed and abused. We celebrate every voice that continues to be raised for justice. We celebrate love. This morning and every morning, we pray Black lives matter. We celebrate black people, indiginous people and people of color. We celebrate the passion, the love, the stories, the bodies of black people. We are grateful for your glorious diversity. Help us to see that you are a God of love. Help us to acknowledge the pain that has been caused through the misuse of religion. Help us to tell the stories that need to be told in communities courageous enough to listen. Help those who hear to offer empathy, respect, belief, apology. Help us move toward forgiveness and reconciliation. Please open our eyes to your tender love. Open our hearts to be held in your compassion. Help us to forgive those who have hurt us. Help us to confess our part in the pain that has been caused. God, help us to work with you for reconciliation, for justice, for forgiveness, for real and lasting change. Amen - Laura Mayo
Invitation Prayer of Dedication We have to choose what kind of peace we will seek and work for. Affirmation of Faith The quality of human life on our planet is nothing more than the sum total of our daily interactions with one another. Each time we help, and each time we harm, we have a dramatic impact on our world. Because we are human, some of our interactions will go wrong, and then we will hurt or be hurt, or both. It is the nature of being human, and it is unavoidable. Forgiveness is the way we set those interactions right. It is the way mend tears in the social fabric. It is the way we stop our human community from unraveling. Benediction And so we go this day seeking forgiveness. We go this day doing the work of reconciliation. We go this day rededicating ourselves to justice. Amen. Postlude "Lamb of God" by J. S. Bach, Patrick Parker, organ. |
Worship Notes
The worship leader is Brook Ward.
The prelude is played by Hank Bond and Mac Wells, drums.
The Call to Worship is “What To Tell The Children” by Rachel Kann.
The Opening Sentences is a Cherokee teaching.
The Unison Confession is by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
“The Covenant Hymn,” text by Vassar Miller, Joyce Courtois, alto.
The Prayer of Dedication is by Dorothee Sölle.
The Affirmation of Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
The worship leader is Brook Ward.
The prelude is played by Hank Bond and Mac Wells, drums.
The Call to Worship is “What To Tell The Children” by Rachel Kann.
The Opening Sentences is a Cherokee teaching.
The Unison Confession is by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
“The Covenant Hymn,” text by Vassar Miller, Joyce Courtois, alto.
The Prayer of Dedication is by Dorothee Sölle.
The Affirmation of Faith is Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
Copyright (c) 2020, Covenant Church
