Covenant Church
an ecumenical liberal baptist congregation
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A Service of Worship for
May 3, 2020

They met Him again after
they had seen Him killed.
And then after they
had been formed into
a little society or community,
they found God somehow
inside them as well.
C. S. Lewis
Picture
Worship Order
Worship notes are also included at the bottom of this page.
​

With this link you can make donation to Covenant through PayPal or a credit card. 

Prelude
Prelude from Suite No. 1 in G major for unaccompanied cello by J. S. Bach; Susan Wegner, cello.

​Call to Worship

Opening Prayer
You said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
We need your presence on the long road, Lord.
The road between fear and hope,
the road between the place where all is lost
and the place of resurrection.
Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus,
we are in need of your company!
Jesus, stand among us.
Let this time of worship be a hallowed hour.

Picture
The Disciples of Emmaus by Jesus Mafa.

​Scripture Lesson: Luke 24:13-35

​Time for Children

​Call to Confession
Unison Confession
Keeper of heaven and earth,
guardian of our coming and going,
of our times of tender reflection
and our moments of turmoil,
Our lives are fragile.
We violate each other in personal relationships,
as nations, as inept keepers of life’s beauty.
Sharpen our sensitivities.
Stir in us preference for listening over speaking,
for tenderness over aggression,
for solidarity and community over alienation.
Deepen for us the meaning of the resurrection,
that we not only speak words of transformation
but embody those words in our life together.
​Amen.


​​Music
“For Everyone Born” Shirley Erena Murray, arr. Tom Trenney, The Covenant Singers, Susan Wegner, cello.
​​Invitation
Picture
Supper at Emmaus by He Qi, China

​Prayer of Dedication
We break this bread for sisters and brothers and all siblings who live in lands where war prevails
as a sign that we all share
both in the pain of war and the longing
and fight for peace and justice.

We break this bread for brothers and sisters and all siblings of differing beliefs and religious affiliation
as an expression of the fact that we are all part of
the same humanity
and share this life on earth with one another.

We break this bread for our wounded earth,
for fields, forests, and seas,
as a sign that we belong together
with the whole of God’s creation
and want to take responsibility
​for the healing of the earth’s
wounds.

We break this bread for the division
and brokenness we experience within ourselves
and in relationships between people
as an expression that we want to open ourselves
to wholeness and life
when we share the bread that is the body of Christ.
​

​
THE CELEBRATION OF COMMUNION
​Invitation to the Table
Sharing the Bread and the Cup
You are welcome to use whatever elements you have for communion this Sunday. 

Communion Prayer
Christ has a thousand faces.
We have to be ready
for the one who comes now.

It would be well if our worship included a time
when we could tell
what Christ we have met as we break the bread.

This would mean to break the bread a second time,
in exposures of the heart.

It would mean to fulfill the act of worship
not in private consumption of the offered sacrament
but in a community of shared need and shared reward.

It would mean shattering the one face of Christ
​
into a thousand faces.

It would mean the naked awareness that the unity of Christ is love in the presence of diversity.

​Affirmation of Faith
If we believe in the Incarnation,
there should be no one on earth
in whom we are not prepared to see,
in mystery,
the presence of Christ.


Music
"Christ Be With Me" by K. Lee Scott, The Covenant Singers.
christ_be_with_me.mp3
File Size: 3294 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

​Benediction
And so, be a peace. Be at peace and know that you are part of a sanctuary that extends around the world. Be at peace and know that you have gathered for communion this day at an altar that, like the welcome of God, knows no limits. Amen

Postlude
Vierne “Prelude” from 24 Pieces en Style Libre, Patrick Parker, organ.

Worship Notes

Nancy Henry created the communion banner pictured above the epigraph.

The communion video was created by Ryan McKinny, the deacons of Covenant, and Laura Mayo. It was edited by Ryan McKinny. Ryan plays the banjo and sings “Amazing Grace.” Ryan would like to dedicate his playing and singing to Reagan Miller.

The worship leader is Bill Martin.

The prelude is played by Susan Wegner, cello. 

The Call to Worship is adapted from a prayer by Henri Nouwen and “And the Table Will Be Wide,” a poem by Jan Richardson.

The Opening Prayer is “Road to Emmaus Call to Worship” from Leading in worship: worship resources in a Mennonite voice for ears of all kinds.

The Unison Confession is from Touch Holiness, edited by Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi.

“For Everyone Born” is sung by the Covenant Singers with Susan Wegner, cello. 

The Communion Prayer is adapted from Christ in a Changing World by Tom Driver. 

The Prayer of Dedication is from Christina Lövestam, used in the Swedish mass for wisdom, the Sofia-mässa.

The Affirmation of Faith is by Thomas Merton. 

“Christ Be With Be” is sung by the Covenant Singers. 

The postlude is played by Patrick Parker, organ.
Copyright (c) 2020, Covenant Church
Picture
Covenant Church
4949 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004
[email protected]
713-668-8830
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